Philadelphia Eagles

On whether to bench Wentz, NFL experts are in agreement

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The Eagles are bad. Carson Wentz is bad. And after an embarrassingly ugly Week 11 loss to the Browns, people outside of Philadelphia are starting to realize how bad the situation has become.

There were plenty of storylines to dissect from Week 11, but one seemed to strike a chord with a ton of prominent national names: it feels like it's time for Wentz to take a seat.

(It's important to note that those calls started with a column Sunday evening NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank. A true trendsetter.)

Here's a look at the arguments from national experts, who agree with the anger in Philly and are ready for Doug Pederson to try something else at the quarterback position. It's hard to argue with any of them.

Ex-Patriot Rodney Harrison,
NBC Sports' Football Night in America

“It’s time for Doug Pederson to give Jalen Hurts an opportunity,” Harrison said. “I’m not saying to start him, but give him a few series, and when you bring him in, I’m not talking about the option, give him an opportunity to get in the game and be a legitimate quarterback.”

Peter King,
NBC Sports' Football Morning in America

"Another discombobulating game by the quarterback who looks less and less like a franchise player every week. Wentz threw an ugly pop-up interception that Cleveland linebacker Sione Takitaki returned 50 yards for a TD to open the scoring on a miserable day by Lake Erie. Then Wentz took a dumb safety to put the Eagles down five in the third quarter. In a 22-17 game—that was the final in Cleveland’s favor—the quarterback can’t hand the other team nine points. It left coach Doug Pederson to answer for whether he’s thinking of playing Jalen Hurts now. Pederson said no. But seriously: How can he not be thinking about it?"

Albert Breer,
Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback

"Carson Wentz’s two picks were ugly, and the one that should’ve been picked by Mack Wilson (he threw that one into a Browns team meeting) was just as bad. I haven’t really been a believer that Philly should sit Wentz down. But I’m starting to wonder if it’d be the right move now, just to clear his head. Coaches I know who’ve worked against him the last year think it’s very psychological."

Steven Ruiz,
USA Today

"It feels like we’ve seen this same version of Wentz every week for last year and a half. Any stretch of encouraging play — we got a brief one at the beginning of this game — is quickly broken up by an absent-minded mistake, a bad throw on third down or an infuriating display of hero ball.

"[...] 

"The Eagles are stuck with the guy for at least another year, but if Doug Pederson wants to save his job, handing the keys over to Jalen Hurts might be the only way to do it. I don’t see any realistic scenario in which this 2020 season ends with the fans in Philadelphia feeling optimistic about the team’s future unless Hurts plays AND looks good."

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