Commanders’ Carson Wentz suffered fractured finger vs Bears, could miss time

The Washington Commanders were lucky to escape the Windy City with a victory over the Chicago Bears. The win might’ve come at a cost, though, as Carson Wentz was in visible discomfort after his hand collided with Bears defender Justin Jones on a pass attempt.

Wentz was seen shaking his hand throughout the game, seemingly indicating he suffered some sort of serious injury. Commanders fans have waited for an updated with bated breath, and that finally came Saturday morning.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Wentz suffered a fractured finger on his throwing hand.

With the Commanders having a de facto mini bye before Week 7, Wentz is headed to Los Angeles to see a hand specialist and it’s currently unclear if he’ll play next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Commanders’ Carson Wentz could miss time with fractured finger he suffered vs the Bears on TNF.

After playing through the injury Thursday night, Wentz was hopeful he’d be able to play through the injury, but the second opinion will determine whether he misses time. Taylor Heinicke would step in for the Commanders if Wentz is unable to go, which would promote rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell to the backup role.

There was some debate heading into Week 6 where Wentz should’ve started the game to begin with. He entered the game with a strained biceps tendon near his throwing shoulder and was seen getting his ankle re-taped after a fourth quarter scramble.

Might it behoove the Commanders to err on the side of caution and give Wentz the time he needs to get healthy?

With a 2-4 record and a tough upcoming schedule that includes games against the Packers, Vikings, Colts (away) and Eagles (away), can they afford to shelve their starter? After all, this four-game stretch could define the season.

Here’s another look at how the injury occurred.

It’s fair to speculate if the injury (or injuries) played a role in Wentz’s wonky performance vs Chicago. He was inaccurate on a number of throws and finished the game 12-of-22 for 99 yards while averaging just 4.5 yards per pass attempt.

The silver lining is Heinicke is familiar with the offense and led the Commanders to seven wins last season filling in for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick. He might not have Wentz’s arm talent, but his mobility could prove useful with Washington’s offense line struggling in pass protection.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, though. Wentz is seeing the hand specialist on Monday. We won’t know anything further until then.