While the Eagles struggled to get into the end zone early, their defense held the Bears in check and Wentz and the offense did enough to leave Chicago with a win and a ideal 2-0 record.
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Sturgis’ third field goal of the game with 8 seconds left in the second quarter. All in all, the Eagles forced three Chicago turnovers (two fumbles and an interception). He played two more series after that, and was examined on the sideline before heading into the locker room.
“I knew I was putting the team in jeopardy, ” Cutler said.
“I don’t think we really talked about it”, Wentz said of the drop.
The offense also played well after a slow start.
He throws a nice screen pass to tight end Trey Burton, who punches it in for six. Isaiah Crowell averaged 5.2 yards a carry against them last week, and the Eagles can’t keep affording that many yards per carry to opposing running backs. Overall, Cutler only went 16 of 29 for 216 yards and one touchdown.
Just like that, it was 29-7 with 10:36 left, and the Bears were done.
This game is just another chance for Wentz to learn and develop.
“It obviously wasn’t ideal by any means, but I thought Carson did a nice job”, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after the game. I normally feel good, even when there’s bad plays, things happen. He’s commanding the huddle and the dialogue on the sideline with the players and coaches.
Wentz completed 21-of-34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown.
He is the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to win the first two games of the season without throwing an interception.
If there is a weakness in Wentz, it’s his willingness to take a hit.
The Bears looked okay in the first half of their Week 1 bout with the Texans. The Eagles safety did so after much deliberation. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman was carted off with a leg injury.
“To play right off the bat coming in, these guys that get drafted, they’re probably a little bit better prepared than we were 10, 12 years ago”, said Cutler, who spent much of his 2006 rookie season with Denver behind Jake Plummer. The injury was aggravated as he tried to plant his right hand and break his fall on a strip-sack by Philadelphia’s Destiny Vaeao in the third quarter. Philadelphia will be without starting cornerback Leodis McKelvin, and only have Nolan Carroll, Ron Brooks and Jalen Mills as fit and available corners.
And even after Eddie Royal’s 65-yard punt-return touchdown late Monday, the Bears are the third-lowest-scoring team in the National Football League with 28 points in two games, ahead of only the Seahawks (15) and Rams (9).
Still, this felt like a game that Chicago lost more than the Eagles won, as the Bears seemed to repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot.
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As for Wentz’s progression, Pederson said getting him into a rhythm early was important, especially with quick throws working out of an empty backfield.
