5 reasons Carson Wentz’s Week 1 performance wasn’t a fluke
By John Buhler
1. Wentz threw the ball down field
This cannot be stressed enough. Wentz did a phenomenal job of throwing the football down field against Cleveland on Sunday. Though Wentz only completed 59.5% of his passes in Week 1, his yards per attempt was at an impressive 7.5.
Wentz showed in Week 1 that he’s not cool with dinking and dunking as a rookie starting quarterback. Quarterbacks that choose to throw the football vertically have a better chance of succeeding in the NFL than those who rely on check downs.
Wentz is achieving first downs through the air before his receivers can even catch it. He averaged 12.6 yards per completion on Sunday. This means that his eye level is where it should be: looking down the field for receivers to get open. It is outstanding to not see him looking at his offensive line to make sure he has a clean pocket. He trusts his teammates up front or isn’t phased in a collapsing pocket.
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His accuracy may never get to a Pro Bowl level, but he is comparing favorably to the Andrew Luck, Blake Bortles prototype he came into the league as. Wentz’s confidence to stretch the field vertically is his first professional start is a massively positive takeaway for the Eagles organization going forward. The Eagles may have found their next franchise quarterback. Week 1 wasn’t a fluke.