Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz continued to his season-long struggles on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, and Eagles head coach Doug Pederson finally had enough. Pederson pulled the fifth-year quarterback in the third quarter and handed over the game to rookie QB Jalen Hurts. Wentz finished the game 6/15 for 79 yards.
It was a mixed result for Hurts. Did Hurts give the team a spark? Yes. He led Philadelphia on a scoring drive, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Greg Ward. However, the second-round did complete less than 50% of passes and threw an interception. Hurts finished the game 5/12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
When asked how he felt Hurts played against the Packers, Pederson said:
“He played okay.”
When asked to elaborate, Pederson said the following:
“Yeah, I thought it was the spark that I was hoping for when I made the change. He came in and did some things. One of the things is that obviously he extended some plays with his legs. Made a nice throw to [WR] Jalen Reagor. Was good to see that. And then obviously the throw to [WR] Greg Ward for the touchdown on a scramble. But there are some things that if and when he looks at the film, that we can clean up and he can improve upon.
“But I thought it was the spark that got us back in the football game.”
At this point, Pederson has not made a decision on who will start next week against the Saints, and while Hurts played okay on Sunday, he did not blow anybody away with his performance. Maybe Pederson will treat this situation how Andy Reid handled Donovan McNabb in 2008 when he sat McNabb in the second half against the Ravens. Ironically enough, McNabb was replaced by another second-round pick, Kevin Kolb. McNabb would start the following week and ultimately lead the Eagles to the NFC championship game.
Who knows what Pederson will decide at this point, but the Eagles’ offense needs a spark, and maybe Hurts is the guy to do it.
