Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Off Wentz, Eagles face Browns minus Garrett
CLEVELAND — Before he ever soared — or, in the case of this season, sputtered — for the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Carson Wentz was connected to the Browns. They passed on the chance to draft him.
Today, their paths cross again.
Wentz has been inconsistent, turnover prone and barely looked like himself for much of this season. Still, he’s got the Eagles (3-5-1) leading the pathetic NFC East and they won’t be an easy matchup for the Browns (6-3), who just may be a legitimate playoff contender.
Rewind to 2016. The Browns were desperate for a franchise quarterback, and their front office at the time was not enthralled with Wentz. So they traded the No. 2 overall pick and a fourth-round selection to the Eagles for five picks, including first-rounders in 2016 and 2017.
Philadelphia took Wentz and never looked back.
“Heck, yeah, I’d do it all over again,” said Eagles Coach Doug Pederson, who has stood by his QB through the good and the bad. “He’s the guy we wanted back then, he’s still the guy we want today. And I love everything about Carson Wentz, and he’s a great leader for our team and our city.”
Wentz’s stats in 2020 are alarming for a player of his stature.
His 12 interceptions lead the NFL. He’s 32nd in completion percentage (58.2). His 73.1 rating is a career worst and he’s been sacked a league-high 35 times.
One of the knocks on Wentz is that he holds the ball far too long, waiting to make a play. That’s risky behavior, but at least this week Wentz won’t have to worry about Browns defensive star and league sacks leader Myles Garrett, who will miss the game after testing positive for covid-19.
Losing Garrett is a tough blow for the Browns, who are in playoff contention for the first time in years.
But despite what Wentz’s numbers may show, Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski respects his ability as a playmaker.
“It is not hard to see what he is capable of,” Stefanski said. “This year, he is making plays. You go back previous years, he is making plays. He is a unique talent in his size and his ability to move. He can make every single throw, so he presents a very, very real challenge for our defense.”
The Browns are coming off an ugly-yet-impressive win over the Houston Texans.
With 60 mph wind gusts making it nearly impossible to throw, Cleveland turned to Nick Chubb (126) and Kareem Hunt (104) and both went over 100 yards rushing in the 10-7 victory.
With rain in the forecast, the Browns figure to stay grounded with their ChubbHunt punching combination again.
Eagles safety Rodney McLeod said it’s the kind of game where everyone needs to buckle their chin straps a little tighter.
“It’s gonna be a battle,” McLeod said. “Those are two good running backs and you know exactly what run plays that are coming — and it’s can you stop it? They’re dynamic, they run hard. Everybody has to play their part and we have to get a lot of hats to the ball.”
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield may have played at Oklahoma, “where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain.” But he’s never experienced anything like the blustery conditions Cleveland faced in its past two home games.
“The two windiest games I have ever been a part of,” he said.
With gusts over 50 mph in both games, Mayfield went a combined 24 of 45 for 254 yards in a loss to Las Vegas and win over Houston, but he acknowledged missing some throws because he didn’t play the wind correctly. He needs to fix that.
“Just learning that on some of these throws, you really had to put some mustard behind them and try and judge the wind as best as possible,” he said.