Eagles-Seahawks up-down drill: Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson flat out stunk
Jim Schwartz and Malcolm Jenkins earned two of the few "up" marks on Sunday.
![Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz waits for a play call for a two-point conversion attempt against the Seahawks late in the fourth quarter.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/eJtb98JqtKJk5wwOcOQn1yXPhAE=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/EUBLGZ5GGNBSZPEHAQWEGSZRNI.jpg)
Carson Wentz
↓ — He flat out stunk. Wentz had arguably the worst game of his career and it couldn’t have come at worse time with the Eagles offense decimated by injury. The quarterback was obviously hampered by the losses, but they had little to do with his inability to connect on even the simplest of passes.
Doug Pederson
↓ — Pederson has lost the magic touch as a play caller. Despite being shorthanded on the offensive line, the coach kept calling pass plays that had his quarterback throwing from the pocket. And when the Eagles needed to convert on third-and-1 after a Seahawks turnover, Pederson called a long-developing run instead of a sneak.
Andre Dillard
↓ — He had never played right tackle before and it showed. Pederson mercifully benched the rookie at the half in favor of — yikes — Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Nevertheless, when you’re a first-round draft pick, you need to do better.
Dallas Goedert
↓ — The Eagles tight end is having a disappointing second season. Goedert has had strong games both as a receiver and blocker, but he’s had just as many with mistakes. His fourth-quarter fumble was a killer.
Jim Schwartz
↑ — His defensive unit has held its last four opponents to 17 points or fewer. It forced MVP candidate Russell Wilson into his second-worst performance, statistically speaking, this season. And it kept the Eagles in the game despite the offense’s inefficiency. Schwartz has done a masterful job over the last month.
» READ MORE: Wentz awful again, defense shines again, and other takeaways from Eagles’ loss | Marcus Hayes
Malcolm Jenkins
↑ — Numbers hardly tell the full story of how important the Eagles safety is to Schwartz’s defense. But Jenkins notched six tackles, two sacks, and had another two hits on Wilson. Get that man a new contract.
Jalen Mills
↑ — He allowed a few late catches, but overall, he helped force Wilson into holding the ball too long. Mills has easily been Schwartz’s best cornerback. Re-signing him this offseason seems like a no-brainer.
Ronald Darby
↓ — When Wilson was able to complete passes, it was often at Darby’s expense. He should have had a touchdown throw after D.K. Metcalf got by the Eagles cornerback, but the receiver couldn’t make the grab. And Darby’s tackling technique on Rashaad Penny’s 58-yard touchdown run was less than ideal.
Eagles injuries
↓ — It’s hard to write about the Eagles’ season thus far without mentioning the significant number of injuries. It’s a part of the game for every team, but medical issues — some of them of a dubious nature — have hindered the Eagles for the last two seasons.
Eagles receivers
↓ — Pederson had said that Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor were trending toward playing Sunday, but neither injured receiver was cleared to dress. That left Wentz with a group that consisted of Jordan Matthews, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Mack Hollins, and Greg Ward. That Ward would have the best game, in his first NFL game, speaks volumes about the unit as a whole.
Mychal Kendricks
↑ — He led all players with 11 solo tackles. Highlighting Kendricks’ performance isn’t a suggestion that the Eagles shouldn’t have moved on from the linebacker. But he became just the latest ex-Eagles to burn his former team.