Carson Wentz took his team on an emotional rollercoaster in his Washington Commanders debut. The embattled quarterback overcame back-to-back interceptions in the second half by throwing touchdowns on the next two possessions, rallying the Commanders to a 28-22 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday.
Wentz is now on his third team in three years. He’s been outcast by the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars put an end to his one-year stay with the Colts in dramatic fashion last season.
Wentz opened the day throwing touchdowns on his first two possessions. The first to wide receiver Curtis Samuel and the second to rookie Jahan Dotson. The Commanders took an early 14-3 lead that they carried into halftime.
However, the Commanders’ offense stalled much of the second half, allowing the Jaguars to chip away at the deficit.
With the score 14-12, Wentz threw the first of his two interceptions after staring down Dotson along the sideline.
Jacksonville responded with a 45-yard field goal from kicker Riley Patterson to take a 15-14 early in the fourth quarter.
On the very next offensive play, Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft by the Jaguars, stepped in front of a screen pass for another Wentz interception.
Wentz never saw Walker in the middle of the scrum before throwing the off-balanced pass for running Antonio Gibson. Jacksonville took over inside Washington’s 10-yard line.
The Jaguars capitalized on Wentz’s second mistake, as running back James Robinson scored on the very next play, extending the Jaguars’ lead to 22-14 with 11:45 remaining.
Just like that, Wentz faced adversity, his first in Washington. How he responded would set the tone for the season.
He responded the only positive way he could, hitting Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin with a dart for a 49-yard touchdown. The Commanders cut the deficit to 22-20. The home crowd in FedEx Field erupted.
After a defensive stop, Wentz was allowed to be the game’s hero. He did so with a perfectly-placed throw to Dotson for a 24-yard touchdown to cap off a 15-play drive that put the Commanders ahead with 1:46 remaining.
The Commanders held on for the win. Wentz finished the game 27-of-41 passing for 313 yards and four touchdowns to go with the two interceptions. His four touchdowns were all to i
Wentz beat his former coach with Philadelphia, Doug Pederson, who is now the Jaguars head coach. The Wentz era in Washington kicked off with a win. From start to finish, it was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Wentz showed glimpses of why he got traded back-to-back offseasons. He also gave the Commanders something they hadn’t had in a long time, a quarterback that can overcome mistakes.
Wentz became the first Washington quarterback to throw for four touchdowns since Kirk Cousins in 2015. Wentz also joined Billy Killmer and Sonny Jurgensen as the only Washington QBs to throw for four touchdowns in a Week 1 game, according to the Commanders.
Commanders fans buckle up and get ready for the good and bad of Carson Wentz.
