Rookie QBs power Eagles, Cowboys
Thrust into lineup, Wentz, Prescott show winning form.
FRISCO, TEXAS — Because they were on opposing teams at the Senior Bowl, Carson Wentz and Dak Pre s c o t t didn’t spend much time together talking about the future.
Even if they had, it’s hard to imagine the soon-to-be rookie quarterbacks in Philadelphia and Dallas could h ave c o me u p wi t h t h i s doozy: Exactly nine months after that showcase, they would face each other in a key NFC East prime-time game as the “toast of the town” in both cities, as one of their coaches described it.
“That’s a lot of what ifs and a lot of difffffffffffferent things happening for this to all play out like this,” Wentz said. “It’s exciting for him, for me. Obviously, it’s going to be played up into something. It’s cool to see another young guy like him that I’ve come to know and to see the success he’s having.”
Wentz starting the opener wasn’t really a stretch by draft time because he went No. 2 overall to the Eagles. But there was still the surprising trade just before the season that sent Sam Bradford to Minnesota, clearing Wentz’s path to the job.
Pre s c ot t was a f our t hround pick who started training camp competing for the No. 3 job.
Backup Kellen Moore got hurt fifirst, breaking an ankle in camp. Then 10-year starter Tony Romo broke a bone in his back in a preseason game, and the 135th selection in the draft had shown enough in the preseason for the Cowboys to believe he could handle the start- ing role .
Now that the Cowboys (5-1) have won fifive straight and are tied with the Vikings for the best record in the NFC, the question is whether Romo gets his job back when he’s ready to play again.
That issue can wait at least one more week. Meantime, these longtime rivals get to watch the apparent futures of their franchises square off Sunday night after an early season stretch when they kept trading the rookie record for pass attempts without an interception to start a career.
“It’s great from an NFL standpoint because obviously these two kids are the talk of the town, let’s say,” fifirst- year Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “It is fun. It’s fun for a coach to watch.
“I think it’s fun for players to watch it. It’s exciting for the fans.”
Prescott said the pair got to know each other better at the NFL combine after spending more time together. The Dallas rookie said they stayed in touch via text as the offffffffffffseason continued, but haven’t been in contact since the season started.
Wentz c ool e d of f a l i t - tle sooner than Prescott, throwing his fifirst interception on the fifinal pass of his fourth game, the start of a two-game skid for the Eagles (4-2). Prescott’s only pick of the season came in the sixth game, a win at Green Bay.
And while Wentz’s passer rating has dropped signifificantly each of the past two weeks, Prescott has a franchise rookie record of fifive straight games with a rating of at least 100.
The bottom line is wins, though. And these are the top two teams in a division that’s stronger than expected.
“They know how to win,” Pederson said.