Eagles going with Hurts overWentz
JalenHurts PHILADELPHIA— will start for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, sending CarsonWentz to the bench.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson made the announcement Tuesday on the team’s website.
“We’renotwherewewant to be as an offense,“Pederson said. “I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the teamover the hump, to try to get everybody playing better.”
Pederson insistedMonday the decision was his, even thoughWentz’s $128million, four-year contract begins in 2021. Hurts replacedWentz in thethirdquarterofa30-16loss to Green Bay and completed 5 of 12 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown, one interceptionandtook three sacks.
“Carson is like all of us rightnow, he’s disappointed. He’s frustrated,” Pederson said. “He’s been a professional through it all. He supports his teammates and that’s what you want to see from him, the leader of the team. I knowsometimes the quarterback gets a lot of the blame like the head coach does. It’s the good with the bad. It’s not about Carson Wentz. It’s not about one person. We know we have issues on offffffffffffense and it has been a struggle for us all season. That’s where the frustration lies a little bit, but he’s been a pro and would expect nothing less.”
PedersonandWentz came toPhiladelphia in2016. They led the Eagles to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title in2017. Wentzwas 11-2 before a knee injury forced him to watch Nick Foles lead the Eagles through the playoffffffffffffs andvictoryoverNewEngland.
Wentz finished third in NFLMVP voting that season, and last year he became the fifirst quarterback in NFL history to throw formore than 4,000 yards without one wide receiver having 500 yards receiving.
ButWentz hasacareer-low 72.8passer rating this season and 19 turnovers, including 15 interceptions. He hasn’t had much help. The injuryoffensive line has allowed 53 sacks, and his young, inexperienced receivers often aren’t open.
“Carson’sbeenabigpart of the success that we’ve had,” Pederson said. “He was on that championshipteamthat got us to that level. Evenin’18 and ’19 he led the team and got us into the postseason and I know we can get back to thatlevel. That’swhyIhave somuchconfifidence inhim.”
Allen leads Bills over 49ers on Monday
Josh Allen threw for 375 yards, tieda careerhighwith four touchdown passes and the Buffalo Bills stayed in sole possession of fifirst place in the AFC Eastwith a 34-24 victory over the San Francisco49ersonMondaynight.
Buffffffffffffalo (9-3) moved a step closer towinning its division for the fifirst time since 1995 thanks to a nearly flflawless performance from Allen. The 24-year-old quarterback was stellar against the 49ers, completing 32 of 40 passes with no interceptions.
He threw touchdown passes to Cole Beasley, Dawson Knox, Isaiah McKenzie and Gabriel Davis.
The Bills are one game aheadof the MiamiDolphins with four games left for both teams.
San Francisco (5-7) lost in its fifirst game at its adopted home in Arizona. The 49ers will be based inGlendale for at least the next three weeks after Santa Clara County issued strict new coronavirus protocols that forced the team to find a temporary new home.
League announces 18 new COVID cases
The NFL says there were 18 new confirmed positive COVID-19testsamongplayers and27amongotherpersonnel in the latest round of testing, which concluded Saturday.
The weeklong program included 16,475 tests administered to 2,427 players and 25,194 given to 4,585 team personnel.
Since testing began in August, 173 players and 297 other personnel have been confirmed positive cases out of more than 757,000 tests given.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) talkswith Eagles head coach Doug Pederson (center) after he replaced Carson Wentz in the third quarter against the Packers on Sunday atGreen Bay.