Constructive on Carson: Wentz struggles for much of loss to Seahawks

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Seattle during Week 11 of the 2016 season. It proved to be an embarrassing loss for the team, as the Seahawks won a 26-15 game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

Carson Wentz looked very much like a rookie quarterback, throwing two interceptions. Doug Pederson looked very much like a rookie head coach asking Wentz to throw the ball 45 times in Seattle. Jordan Matthews and Dorial Green-Beckham were Wentz's two leading receivers in the game, combining for just over 100 yards total. Neither are on the team anymore. Wendell Smallwood and Ryan Mathews were the team's two leading rushers. Smallwood hasn't gotten a carry since Week 9, and Mathews isn't in the NFL. 

Suffice it to say, quite a bit has changed since the two teams last met in November of 2016. Since the loss to the Seahawks, the Eagles have gone 12-4 in regular season games. The Eagles entered a Sunday Night Football showdown with a chance to clinch the NFC East title. Pederson entered as one of the favorites of NFL Coach of the Year. And Wentz entered as the favorite to win the MVP. 

Here are my in-game notes on Wentz's performance against the Seahawks: 

First Quarter

Drive One

• After the Seahawks kicked a field goal on the game's opening drive, Wentz and the Eagles opened up on their own 10-yard line. 
• Wentz hit Torrey Smith for a five-yard gain on the opening drive. He slipped or probably would have had a few more yards. 
• After a short run from LeGarrette Blount on second down, Wentz dropped the snap on third down. He recovered quickly and ran for a first down. 15 yards were tacked on after he took a late hit. 
• Wentz was unable too hook up with Nelson Agholor on the following play. He was well covered. Wentz was rather animated in having words with a defensive lineman, it appeared to be Frank Clark.
• Blount ran for eight yards on second down, but was unable to rush for a first on a third-and-short carry. On fourth-and-one at midfield, Pederson elected to have the Eagles punt. This was probably the right decision, though there's an argument that the Eagles should have at least lined up and tried to draw the Seahawks offsides. 

Drive Two

• After a three-and-out from the Seahawks, Wentz and the Eagles opened up their second drive in good field position, on the Seahawks 44. 
• Wentz missed Agholor WIDE OPEN on first down. Not only would it have been a 15-plus yard gain, but he had room to run. With his athleticism, this play, at the very least, would have put them deep inside the redzone. Can't miss those type of throws in big games on the road. 
• Wentz connected with Smith underneath for a four-yard gain on second down. It was similar to the first play they ran on offense. 
• The aforementioned Clark broke through the defensive line with a nice move to the inside to sack Wentz for an eight-yard loss on third down. The Seahawks seemed to make it a point of emphasis early on to pick on Halapoulivaati Vaitai. 

Drive Three

• Jay Ajayi got his first carry of the game to open the third drive. He ran for six yards. This was the final play of the first quarter. 

Second Quarter

Drive Three (continued)

• Ajayi again got the ball to open the second quarter, rushing for three plus yards. This allowed the Eagles to run a read-option, where Wentz decided to keep the ball on third-and-one and run for a first. 
• After a failed run-pass option on first down, Wentz ran for another set of downs on second down. This was despite the Seahawks jumping offsides and holding defensively. So on top of a run of over 10 yards, the Eagles got an extra five yards. 
• Ajayi ran for another first down on the following play, before Wentz hooked up with Agholor for an eight-yard gain on the next play. 
• Following another extended run, this time from Corey Clement, Wentz wasn't able to connect with Zach Ertz over the middle of the field. It was a fairly dangerous throw, but he did find the window he had to hit Ertz in. Unfortunately, the throw was too low. 
• On third-and-seven, Clark forced a fumble on a blindside sack of Wentz. Him and Michael Bennett were both offsides, so the fumble and subsequent recovery was nullified, but the force that Clark hit Wentz with wasn't. Wentz appeared to be grimacing after taking the hit. 
• In any event, the five-yard penalty paid dividends, as it allowed Blount to keep the drive alive with a short first down run. Blount's next run got the Eagles inside the Seattle five, but the run was erased after a holding penalty on Alshon Jeffery. Instead, it pushed the Eagles back to a first-and-nine, where Wentz connected with Agholor for a short gain. 
• Wentz hit Ajayi on a third-and-six on the final offensive play of the drive, but he was wrapped up by Byron Maxwell (go figure), before he could get to the first down marker. Jake Elliott hit a field goal to get the Eagles on the board to end the drive. 

Drive Four

• After a short run by Blount to open the drive, he, again, connected with Wentz underneath for a three-yard gain. 
• On third-and-short, Wentz connected with Agholor on a drag route for a first down. 
• Just before the two-minute warning, Wentz handed to Ajayi on a second-and-11. Ajayi did a good job of finding a hole. He ran for 10-plus yards, before taking a big lick from Earl Thomas III. Wentz continued to look downfield on the play after the handoff. He did a good job of selling it. 
• Wentz didn't like what he saw at the line on third-and-1, so he audibled and ran a quarterback sneak for a successful first down conversion. 
• With a fresh set of downs, Wentz found Smith for the fourth time on the night, this time for a five-yard gain. 
• On second-and-five, Wentz had pretty good protection, but evidently no one open downfield. With the pocket beginning to collapse, Wentz shoveled to Clement over the middle for a short gain. The shovel, an Andy Reid special, wasn't a bad idea. The execution of it could have been better, however, as it was a pretty weak lob. 
• On third-and-two, Wentz tossed to Clement, but he wasn't able to find a hole to run through. As Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast, it may have been fourth down territory, but the Eagles needed a short gain on that play. They didn't get that, and despite initially lining up on fourth-and-short, ultimately punted it away. 

Third Quarter

Drive Five

• Wentz and the Eagles, after a touchback on the second-half opening kick, began their fifth drive on their own 25. 
• For the first time in the game, Wentz hit Ertz for a first down to open the second half. 
• After a short Ajayi run, Wentz hit Ertz again over the middle for another first down. 
• On the following play, he rolled out of a collapsing pocket to his left. He kept his eyes downfield, and connected with Jeffery. For as good of a play as it was by Wentz, there's only a few receivers in the NFL physically strong enough to make that catch. Jeffery is one of them. Having that type of weapon not only improves Wentz's performance, but opens up opportunities for others on the offense.
• Following the Jeffery reception, Wentz decided to hand the ball off to Ajayi on a read-option. He was unable to set up a screen pass to Ajayi on the following play. 
• On third-and-12, Wentz connected with Smith near the first down marker. Though it initially was ruled short of a first down, Pederson challenged the spot of the ball. Though there appeared to be enough evidence to overturn it, the call on the field stood. 
• On fourth-and-short, to the surprise of no one, Wentz kept the ball for a first. He got good blocking from Jason Kelce and Brandon Brooks. 
• Though it appeared that Lane Johnson held Bennett on the following play, karma was perhaps due to go in the Eagles favor. Holding wasn't called, and Wentz connected with Jeffery to put the Eagles inside the Seahawks seven. 
• On second-and-goal, Wentz kept the ball and ran it up the middle. Though it looked a bit like a broken play, it was fairly effective initially, until Wentz fumbled the ball into the endzone. Unlike last week's Ajayi fumble that Agholor recovered in the endzone, this fumble went out of the back of the endzone for a touchback:

Eagles QB Carson Wentz just fumbled it through the end zone touchback Seahawks ball 😂😂🏈#PHIvsSEA 🏈🏈🏈 pic.twitter.com/aI2wApGEXY

— 🎅Phenomenal One J🎄 (@PhenomenalOneJ) December 4, 2017

• 
  When you have a quarterback that takes off sometimes, that's one of those plays you have to live with. It was extremely unfortunate timing, however, as the Eagles seemed to have offensive momentum for the first time in the game. 

Drive Six

• After a Seahawks touchdown extended their lead to two touchdowns, the Eagles opened their sixth drive on their own 25-yard line. 
• Wentz found a wide open Agholor, this time connecting with him for 32-yards. Still, Agholor had to come back for the catch because the ball was underthrown. If he led him, it may have been a touchdown. 

A good throw by Wentz and this is a TD. Two missed to Agholor tonight. pic.twitter.com/9fgO7EfduM

— Dan Levy (@DanLevyThinks) December 4, 2017

• Wentz found Ajayi for a first down on the following play. 
• On second-and-10, Wentz found Jeffery over the middle on a run/pass option. He took a big hit, but made the catch for a seven-yard gain. 
• The Eagles went right back to the run/pass option on third-and-three. Wentz threw to a well covered Ertz, who nearly caught the ball. Unfortunately for the Eagles, he wasn't able to control it to the ground. Ertz was also shaken up on the play and didn't return. 
• Down 14, the Eagles went for it on fourth-and-three. The idea of going for it probably made sense in the given situation. However, the Seahawks brought an all-out blitz, quickly flushing Wentz to his right. Kenjon Barner did get into a position where Wentz conceivably could have hit him, but he leaked out to the left, while Wentz was flushed to the right. Given how off balance Wentz was, he wasn't able to even give Barner a chance with the throw. It's a lot easier to let Wentz off the hook for a throw like this than the two he missed to Agholor tonight. 

Drive Seven

• Ajayi ran for a short gain on first down, but that was erased after Wentz took a blindside sack on the final play of the third quarter. 

Fourth Quarter

Drive Seven (continued)

• Facing a third-and-long to open the fourth quarter, Wentz was flushed out of the pocket and was falling down, as he heaved a 40 plus yard pass that found Agholor. Wentz has some Brett Favre in him: 

HOW DID @CJ_WENTZ MAKE THIS THROW?! 😱 pic.twitter.com/C2MFamu6p5

— NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2017

• On first-and-10, Wentz hit Ajayi in the background, but he was taken down for a three-yard loss. He stared him down too much. 
• After Clement didn't gain any yards on a delayed handoff, Wentz was pressured greatly on third down. He did a great job of stepping up in the pocket and making a Russell Wilson-esque throw to Agholor in the endzone for a touchdown: 

11 to 13* to make it a one-score game.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/BYwpNAw9l5

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 4, 2017

• This drive, of course, didn't erase the mistakes that Wentz led throughout the night. But it felt like a drive that only Aaron Rodgers could make, reminding you of how special Wentz is. 

Drive Eight

• The Eagles opened the drive on their own 29, with Wentz hitting Trey Burton for a first down, despite pass interference. 
• On second-down, Wentz gave Jeffery a chance to make the catch, but he was unable to haul it in. 
• Fortunately for the Eagles, Wentz found Burton again on second down. 
• On second-and-six, Wentz targeted Burton again, but his arm was hit at the line, affecting the throw. 
• On third-and-six, Wentz essentially threw the ball away. He probably could have ran the ball at least for a few yards. 
• On fourth-and-six, Wentz threw too high for Burton, essentially placing a nail in the Eagles comeback coffin. 

Drive Nine

• Wentz was sacked, again by Clark, to open the ninth drive. 
• On third-and-six, Wentz took a shot deep to Smith. It was initially ruled pass interference, though after looking at the replay, it was clear that he tripped over the defender. The flag was picked up. 
• Wentz did find Clement, who had a head of steam, on fourth-and-six. The gain went for 26. 
• Just before the two-minute warning, Wentz took a shot to the endzone that was picked by Maxwell. This pick really put a nail in the Eagles' coffin. 

Week 13 Takeaways 

• Wentz was 9/13 for just 45 yards in the first half. In fairness, the Eagles didn't seem to have a ton of opportunities to push the ball down the field. However, the one real chance they did have, Wentz overthrew Agholor, which cost the Eagles at least three points. 
• The two biggest mistakes that Wentz made tonight were the missed chances with Agholor. The fumble and the miss to Barner are more excusable. The two throws to Agholor both could have been touchdowns – which you can't leave on the table on the road against a battled-tested team. 
• It does say something about Wentz that he led that fourth quarter drive, even if it didn't lead to a comeback. 
• Wentz looked like an extremely talented second-year quarterback tonight, not the one that's played beyond his years for much of the season. 
• National games go a long way in determining MVP race. On one hand, Wentz absolutely had the most memorable drive in this game. On the other hand, Wilson was running for his life much of the night, and led the Seahawks to a win anyway. At the very least, the MVP race – which appears to be between Wentz, Wilson and Tom Brady – is much closer after tonight. 
• Even after tonight, the Eagles are 10-2, still in position for a first round bye and with a very good chance to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Sports radio will probably be intolerable tomorrow, but it's important to keep things in perspective. 
• It's also important to remember that a lot of fluky things happened tonight. Wentz needs to make the throws to Agholor, but he also normally isn't going to fumble a ball out of the back of the endzone near the goal line. A majority of times, the Eagles probably beat this Seahawks team in Seattle. There's also a nearly non-existent chance that they'll be playing in Seattle again in the postseason. 
• Tonight does underscore how important potentially getting home field advantage is. While Seattle is probably the most difficult place to play, going into Minnesota or New Orleans in January doesn't sound too enticing. The Eagles can't dwell on this loss too much, as they have a crucial battle with the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.