Being winless after three games is now how the Philadelphia Eagles envisioned their 2020 season playing out. After winning the NFC East last season despite an ailing team hindered by injuries, Philadelphia had high expectations. Despite falling flat, including a 23-23 tie with the Bengals in Week 3, head coach Doug Pederson has no intention of benching starting quarterback Carson Wentz.
There’s no denying that Wentz has had a rough time thus far. He’s averaging just 5.6 yards per pass and has thrown six interceptions compared to just three touchdowns over three games. In fact, he’s thrown two picks in each of his first three games, creating the only source of consistency this year. But Pederson says that Wentz shouldn’t shoulder all of the blame, adding that making a change would be “a knee-jerk reaction.”
Of course, fans in Philadelphia can be boisterous, and after two losses and a tie, many are starting to clamor for rookie Jalen Hurts. The former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback ran the ball twice against the Bengals on Sunday but is yet to throw a pass in the NFL. With no preseason games this season, it’s impossible to say how close Hurts might be to being ready to be an NFL quarterback.
However, if the Eagles continue to underperform, it’ll be hard for Pederson to ignore shouts for Hurts to play. On the other hand, Hurts isn’t going to prevent the Philadelphia defense from giving up 29 points per game, nor is he a lock to fix the team’s issues on the offensive line. In short, Wentz’s struggles are just the tip of the iceberg for the Eagles.
The good news for the Eagles is that once again the rest of the NFC East is struggling. At 0-2-1, they are just half a game behind Washington and Dallas, who are both 1-2. That should give Pederson and Wentz time to turn things around. But with games against the 49ers, Steelers, and Ravens on top for the next three weeks, it won’t be easy to fix things quickly regardless of whether it’s Wentz or Hurts playing quarterback.