Jalen Hurts will start for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, sending Carson Wentz to the bench. It was the announcement many expected to happen after Doug Pederson refused to announce the starter for the next game after a loss to the Packers.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson made the announcement Tuesday on the team’s website.
“We’re not where we want 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 team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better.”
Following the announcement, Pederson revealed that he still has confidence in Wentz.
“Carson’s been a big part of the success we’ve had,” Pederson said on Tuesday. “He was on that championship team that got us to that level. Even in ’18 & ’19 he led the team & got us into the postseason. I know we can get back to that level. That’s why I have so much confidence in him.”
Hurts replaced Wentz in the third quarter of a 30-16 loss to Green Bay and completed 5 of 12 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
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“Carson is like all of us right now, 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 know sometimes 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 offense 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.”
Wentz has a career-low 72.8 passer rating this season and 19 turnovers, including 15 interceptions this season.
