Carson Wentz had a solid performance in the Eagles' 24-19 win over the Giants at the Linc Thursday night.
Wentz finished the game 13 of 24 for 152 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added 28 yards rushing on three carries. Doug Pederson balanced the play calling well early but made a few odd decisions. Yet again, Wentz's receivers did him no favors.
Here are some of the bigger plays from Wentz in the Eagles' win/loss:
2nd quarter, 14:56, 3rd and 8, PHI 24 - Eagles 14, Giants 3
There was some good and some bad on this play. Wentz does an unbelievable job scrambling around and avoiding the rush. It was a very Aaron Rodgers-esque play. By my count, Wentz held the ball for 9.6 seconds (sad that nobody could get open in that time) before deciding to try to launch a ball 40 yards down the field to Bryce Treggs along the right sideline.
First things first: This is a terrible decision by Wentz. You're up 14-3 and your defense had been playing well. Throw the ball and live to play another down. With that said, Treggs did a poor job of coming back for the football and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie gets an easy interception. The play doesn't wind up hurting them, but it's a ball Wentz should eat. When Wentz has a competent complement of receivers, the things he can do while on the run should be special.
2nd quarter, 4:59, 1st and 10, NYG 40 - Eagles 14, Giants 6
Nelson Agholor did a thing! Agholor is lined up in the slot to the right with Jordan Matthews lined up wide to the right. Both Zach Ertz and Brent Celek are lined up tight to the left with Ryan Mathews as the lone back. The Giants show blitz and do send five. From under center, Wentz fakes to Mathews going right. The play action holds the defense, Celek stays in as an extra blocker and Ertz runs across the formation, putting more focus on the right side of the field. Agholor runs a post and nobody is back deep for the Giants. Easy pitch and catch for the Eagles.
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Wentz sees something in the Giants' defense presnap and changes up the play, using a hand signal to communicate with Agholor. The guess would be the play was a run that Wentz changes to a pass, recognizing that he and Agholor could exploit something in New York's secondary.
4th quarter, 11:07, 1st and 10, NYG 43 - Eagles 21, Giants 16
This play was just unreal. If the other play resembled Rodgers, this looked like something out of Michael Vick's heyday. The possession after Wentz was taken into the locker room to be evaluated for a possible concussion, he fakes to Mathews and has a defender bearing down on him. He spins to his left -- which is becoming his patented move -- then somehow ducks underneath the tackle and runs for 11 yards. This is one element of Wentz's game that has actually gotten a better as he's gotten more comfortable in the NFL. When plays have broken down, he's been able to escape pressure and get positive yardage. This play helps set up a field goal and gave the Eagles a little breathing room.
Overall analysis
The numbers weren't overwhelming, but it was a character win that will only help in Wentz's development. What won't help is some of the decision making by Pederson. After Wentz had cleared concussion protocol, Pederson called a double reverse in which Wentz had to throw a lead block. I'm sure Eagles fans everywhere were holding their breath. The bottom line is this is a damn good Giants defense and Wentz made enough plays to help the Eagles win.
