The Eagles were leading 9-7 late in the third when Mathews bounced off the line and spun outside before lunging in for a 3-yard touchdown. The biggest hit Wentz took came early in the second quarter. “Their kid left the game, not Carson”.
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With Wentz opening up the game in the shotgun formation it made the defense play the pass which in turn set up the run.
Landing a player like Wentz has to be a tantalizing concept for the Bears. Instead, Wentz’s dynamic skill set and unique intangibles have been too big for his first two National Football League foes.
Hint to Carson now that you’re in the NFL: Learn to slide. Or all of the above.
Well, he can. But at some point it is going to be costly.
“Obviously we’re very disappointed”, says Bears coach John Fox after the game.
Not only was Roethlisberger sacked 8 times in that Week 3 game in 2008, which by the way included the Steelers entering the contest with a 2-0 record, he completed just 13 of 25 total pass attempts for 131 yards with an interception and two lost fumbles. Wentz has been excellent.
Wentz has to learn self-preservation.
Twice against the Bears he had a chance to avoid a hit while scrambling for a few yards. He made the teammates that protested look good.
“I’m my own worst critic”.
“It was cool. It’s something”, Wentz said, “but at the same time for me it’s something I try and not make it bigger than it needs to be. By no means was it ideal, but he’s seeing things really well and he’s commanding the huddle and the dialogue on the sideline with players and coaches is something that a nine-, 10-year vet would do”. The quarterback bounced up quickly. In the third quarter, trying to run for a first down on third and 10, Wentz scrambled for seven yards and didn’t slide. Instead, Bears cornerback Sherrick McManis cut Wentz’s legs out from under him, sending the quarterback whirling into the air. “We have those conversations on the sideline”. We talked about if we get a completion early on we’re just going to stay in and keep going no huddle. He was wearing a cast on his right hand on Monday night and missed the final six games of the 2011 season when he last injured his right thumb. I just need him to protect himself. The Rams, of course, took Goff and the Eagles took Wentz.
For good measure, Pederson went for fourth down again just before the two-minute warning. The Bears may be in a prime spot to make a drastic change, and there are plenty of playmakers in the upcoming draft who could wind up immediately making an impact for this franchise.
If the Bears are looking to win Super Bowls in 2018 or beyond, it won’t be with Cutler as the quarterback.
And when you think about it, Cutler has become the Webb of quarterbacks. “Whenever you come back from two back surgeries, the end of your career could look a lot like the start, on the bench as the No. 2”. But if the Eagles connect on the two drops, his numbers would have been close to last week’s stats against the Browns.
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And, as Eagles coach Doug Pederson pointed out, each is capable of doing some damage on the move. “I don’t know if he was left in any longer than anyone could’ve guessed”. After the game, Bradham said “Our game plan this week was pretty much to frustrate the quarterback”.
