After a promising start to the season, the Philadelphia Eagles are struggling. On Sunday, they dropped their third game in a row. The performance of rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has followed the same arc.
In a 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, Wentz threw a career high 60 pass attempts, completing 36 of them. He played especially poorly in the face of the Bengals' pass rush.
Carson Wentz today under pressure:
11 of 19 for 66 yards, 0 TD, 2 INTs, 25.2 QB Rating
Wentz' QB Rating under pressure since WEEK 6: 13.2!
— Billy Moy (@PFF_Billy) December 4, 2016
But that same pass rush created a moment of rookie magic in the game. During the fourth quarter, Wentz dropped back to throw against a four-man rush that was rapidly collapsing the pocket. He took a step to his left and fired a pass directly into the outstretched arms of Bengals defensive end Will Clarke. The ball bounced off Clarke's arms and landed in the hands of the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Wentz, who caught the pass and ran for a gain of seven yards.
Carson Wentz completes a pass to Carson Wentz! Not a typo. Gain of 7! #PHIvsCIN https://t.co/pkr4zw5FLS — NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2016
That wild play gave Wentz his first career reception, but he ended the day with his second-lowest quarterback rating of the season, 58.2, after throwing for 308 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. During the last five games, his touchdown-to-interception ratio has been 3-8. The Eagles fell to 5-7 on the season, last in the NFC South, and their chances of making the playoffs are slim to none.
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