Santoliquito: Carson Wentz Is Not A Clutch Quarterback
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's so easy to look past it, what with all of the gaudy numbers that Carson Wentz has compiled in his brief three-year history he's had in the NFL.
But ask yourself this: Do you know or remember when Wentz won a game in the fourth quarter?
He certainly didn't do it last Sunday, when he fell to pieces in the Eagles' 21-17 fourth-quarter meltdown loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Wentz is gradually building the nickname "TQC," short for "Three Quarters Carson," because he plays well for three quarters, then tends to get nervous in the clutch. Against Carolina with 1:22 left and a chance to win it, the Eagles were helped by a 48-yard pass interference penalty, placing the Eagles on the Carolina 22. An incompletion and an 8-yard Wendell Smallwood run left them with a third-and-two. It's when Wentz froze. He had Smallwood in the left flat wide open for a first down, yet locked in Alshon Jeffery in the end zone.
The pass was almost intercepted.
On fourth-and-two, Wentz had Jeffery but tensed up and lost the window. The pocket collapsed in on him and he fumbled the ball away.
Wentz appears to get nervous late with the game on the line.
He's had nine chances to win games coming from behind or tied in the fourth quarter and Wentz has only come through once—when he hit Jeffery at the New York Giants' 43 on Sept. 24, 2017. It set up Jake Elliott's historic 61-yard field goal that propelled the Eagles to a 27-24 win and laid out the foundation for the Super Bowl run.
That's it.
Otherwise, Wentz is 1-8 in fourth-quarter clutch situations.
It's an alarming trend that needs to be corrected—and can be—fast.
Fast Facts Jacksonville Jaguars-Eagles
- LEADER: Jaguars lead all-time series, 3-2
- STREAKS: Eagles have won past 2
- LAST GAME: 9/7/14: Jaguars 17 at Eagles 34
- LAST GAME AT SITE: First meeting in London
Eagles
- PTS. FOR/AGAINST 22.0/19.7
- OFFENSE 362.9
- PASSING Carson Wentz: 138-195-1502-10-1-108.1
- RUSHING Wendell Smallwood: 52-233-4.5-1
- RECEIVING Zach Ertz (TE): 57-618-10.8-2
- DEFENSE 355.4
- SACKS Fletcher Cox: 4
Jaguars
- PTS. FOR/AGAINST 16.6/20.9
- OFFENSE 355.0
- PASSING Blake Bortles: 151-249-1735-9-8-80.3
- RUSHING T.J. Yeldon: 79-327-4.1-1
- RECEIVING Dede Westbrook: 31-404-13.0-2
- DEFENSE 301.6
- SACKS Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue: 4
