Rough day for quarterbacks
Carson PHILADELPHIA —
Wentz and Kirk Cousins remained winless. Mitchell Trubisky got benched. Dwayne Haskins took a step backward.
Itwas a roughdayforsome of the NFL’s under-fire quarterbacks.
Wentz threw two more picks but used his legs on a game-tying touchdowndrive as the Philadelphia Eagles played the Cincinnati Bengals to a 23-23 tie Sunday.
Wentz is going through theworst stretch of his fiveyear career and has already tossed six interceptions, one fewer than he had in each of the past three seasons. Already missing veteran receiver Alshon Jeffery and rookie first-round pick Jalen Reagor, Wentz lost DeSean Jackson in the first half and tightendDallasGoedertwent down in the first quarter.
Thecombinationofinjuries on the offensive line and at the skill positions, questionable playcalling and a predictable offensive scheme, plus his own inconsistency, has led toWentz’s struggles.
“It’s hard when you got somemoving pieces and you got different guys in there,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “We’re not going to make excuses for anything. We got to continue towork, practice, get better and sort these things out. When the injuries piled up, it just sort of got us a little bit out of our game-plan rhythm.”
No surprise fickle fans are putting all the blame on Wentz. Thosewho aren’t still lamenting the fact theEagles let Nick Foles go two years ago are calling for backup JalenHurts, the rookie quarterback
who ran for 8 yards on one play of the two plays he was behind center with Wentz split wide.
Cousins threw three TD passes in Minnesota’s 31-30 home loss to Tennessee but also had two picks and has already matched his 2019 interception total with six. Hewas coming off theworst performanceofhiscareerlast week and criticism is building as the Vikings fell to 0-3.
“You just go back and look at each one and saywhy and better understandeachone,” Cousinssaidofhispicks.“You try not to play for statswhen they are just stats and not telling the full story.”
At least Cousins doesn’t have to look over his shoulder. Sean Mannion is Minnesota’s backup and he’s only thrown 74 passes in six seasons.
Trubisky, who beat out Foles for the starting job in Chicago after the Bears declined his fifth year contract option, was pulled in the third quarter following
an erratic effort against Atlanta. Then Foles stepped in and tossed for three TDs in the final seven minutes to help the Bears overcome a 16-point deficit in a 30-26 win over Atlanta.
Bears coach Matt Nagy decided on Monday to go with Foles, the former Super Bowl MVP and Philadelphia legend, next week against the Colts.
His teammates were impressed.
“His execution and really taking over the kills and the callswasprettyspecial,” tight end Jimmy Graham said of Foles. “He was out there ad-libbing a bit for sure and checking and changingsome plays. There’soneplaycalled, I’m like, ‘We got that?’ So it was pretty cool to see and pretty cool to be a part of.”
Haskins, Washington’s first-roundpick in 2019outof OhioState, showedhispotential in the first two games before reverting to bad habits in a 34-20 loss in Cleveland. Haskins threw three interceptions and fumbled on a strip sack.
Washington coach Ron Rivera gave Haskins a vote of confidence, however.
“I told him, look, I’m behind you,” Rivera said. “I’m going to stick with you, so you go out and play football.”
Rodgers, Packers beat Saints on Sunday night
Green Bay quarterback AaronRodgerspassedfor283 yardsandthree touchdowns, and the Packers scored 10 points in the final nine minutes to pull out a 37-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.
“We’ve gotten in a good flow,” Rodgers said. “I feel somuch more comfortable in the offense this year, and I think Matt (LaFleur) has really settled intotherhythm of the play calling, and it’s made my job a lot easier.”
With Packers top receiver Davante Adams unable to play because of a hamstring injury, Rodgers nonetheless found ways to attack New Orleans (1-2) with a variety of passes, short and long.
Allen Lazard caught six passes for 146yards forGreen Bay (3-0), including gains of 48 and 72 yards on throws deep downfield that each set up touchdowns.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara builtona sensational start to the season, gaining 197 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice on short passes from Drew Brees, with shifty, tackle-slipping runs after the catch.
“It’s nicewhen you’ve got aweapon like that, that you just get the ball in his hands in space and he’s tough to tackle,” Brees said. “It’s like a human highlight reel.”