Both of Carson Wentz’s touchdown throws were very impressive.
There was the 19-yarder in the first quarter to Jordan Matthews, that Doug Pederson called “tremendous,” and the 35-yarder to Nelson Agholor that put the Eagles up big in their 29-10 win over the Browns.
Those plays were great, but when asked Monday which play he thought was Wentz’s best, Pederson said the rookie had “several” before pointing out two specific plays.
"But two throws that kind of stick out," Pederson began. “One to Jordan Matthews — it was a quick slant pattern to his left, [Wentz] just made a tight window throw. And then, of course, the 4th-and-4 play to Zach (Ertz) was a big-time throw with them rushing six guys with five to block. So it was a big-time throw.”
Both were short slant passes thrown in tight windows to move the sticks. And both led to points on the drive.
The first, to Matthews, was a key third-down conversion with 1:38 left in the first half. The play moved the chains and the Eagles kicked a field goal to go up, 13-7, six plays later.
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Wentz had plenty of time, but the ball still had to be perfect for Matthews to catch it.
It was.
The second throw Pederson pointed out came on 4th and 4 in the third quarter. This was obviously one of the biggest plays of the afternoon because the game was still tight.
Pederson cited math as the reason to go for it. He cited Wentz and Ertz as the reasons it worked.
This play would have been impressive even if Wentz wasn’t about to get drilled. Wentz saw the blitz coming from linebacker Christian Kirksey and still delivered the throw into a tight window. Pederson has talked so much about the importance of Wentz's protecting himself, but this is an instance in which the head coach is likely OK with Wentz taking a hit.
And give credit to Ertz, who suffered a displaced first rib in the first quarter, for making the grab on this important fourth down in the third quarter.
Those are just two examples of big-time plays Wentz made on Sunday afternoon. There were plenty others and plenty of reasons for Eagles fans to be excited about the future (see story).
Pederson was pretty excited too.
What was the head coach’s message to the young quarterback?
“My message to Carson? Obviously, enjoy it,” Pederson said. “This business is short-lived. You get a chance to watch the film and make the corrections, and then we're right on to the next opponent. It's a different set of circumstances. It's like every one of our golf games in here: One day you shoot 75 and the next day you shoot 85. You just have to take each game in stride.
“[This week is] another set of circumstances. It's a Monday night game coming up [in a] national spotlight. It’s a road game; noise, the whole thing. So enjoy this one, but we’ve got to come to work ready to play again.”