Welcome to Wentzylvania.
Raise your hand if you saw that coming. Thought so.
There's a new kid in town. Sure, I know it was only one game, and it was against the Cleveland Browns, but it's hard not to be impressed by the debut of Carson Wentz.
All he did was go 22 of 37 for 278 yards and two TDs in leading the Eagles over the lowly Browns. Yes, that would be the same Browns team who decided he was not worth taking with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Ouch!
But it wasn't just the numbers. Wentz seems like a leader, a guy who walks onto the field and takes command. He made all the throws; both of his touchdowns were perfect touch passes dropped in over the outside shoulder of receivers in a spot where only they could catch them. That's one of the reasons for the other number that stood out in his Sunday body of work. Zero. That would be zero interceptions. That's not supposed to happen with a rookie QB making his NFL debut.
Now he gets to show off on a national stage, with a prime time date in Chicago vs. the Bears on Monday Night Football. The Bears certainly will be a tougher test than the dreadful Browns, but they aren't the Monsters of the Midway. They looked less than stellar in dropping their opener to the Titans last week.
I don't expect Mr. Wentz to be as good as he was last week. I'm thinking he won't have to be. I see the Eagles defense rattling Jay Cutler into another rough night, coming up with some key turnovers and shortening the field for Wentz and his offensive mates.
Last week I said the Eagles would beat the Browns, but not necessarily because of Wentz. I was wrong. I should have waited a week. Look for the Eagles' defense to be the stars of Monday night, and for Wentz and the offense to do enough to pick up another win.
One thing that got lost in the all the hoopla was the solid performance of rookie head coach Doug Pederson. The Eagles looked well-coached and prepared on both sides of the ball. There were no silly penalties, no mangled time management. Wentz calmly leading the Eagles into field goal position in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half was an eye opener.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 24, Bears 16. Doug Pederson remains perfect. Wentz turns in another solid performance. More than anything, he doesn't get his team beat. If he's lights out again, this time on a national stage, get ready for some serious Wentz mania, if we're not there already.
Last Week: It's a good start. I liked the Birds a lot and they did not disappoint. I also was impressed with Doug Pederson and his staff. The ante gets upped a bit this week and they will be under a prime-time microscope. Don't look now but Pederson has now won all five games he's coached the Birds. In terms of the regular season, we're both sitting at 1-0.
Game by Game: Eagles 29, Browns 10 (My Pick: Eagles 19, Browns 13).
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