Washington coach Ron Rivera’s dumb move to go with Carson Wentz at QB, as expected, failed spectacularly, as the fading young veteran signal-caller threw three interceptions in a 24-10 Commanders’ loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Wentz was intercepted twice in the first quarter, and the third pick, in Browns territory with 3:18 to go in the game, may have sealed Washington’s playoff fate.
The 2016 #2 overall pick was 16-of-28 for 143 yards.
Washington is now 2-5 in games started by Wentz, who was acquired in the offseason wit Indianapolis in which the teams swapped 2022 second-round picks, and the Commanders also sent the Colts a pair of third-rounders.
The move to start Wentz came after Taylor Heinicke, who took over at QB1 after Wentz injured a finger on his throwing hand in Washington’s 12-7 win over Chicago on Oct. 13, had led the Commanders to a 5-3-1 record to get the team into playoff contention.
But Washington had lost its last two games, including a 37-20 loss at San Francisco on Christmas Eve in which Heinicke, a 2014 ODU alum, had two crucial second half turnovers.
Wentz replaced Heinicke in the fourth quarter of that one, and was 12-of-16 for 123 yards and a TD in mop-up duty.
That was enough to earn him the start this week with Washington’s season on the line.
A Green Bay win over Minnesota in the late window on Sunday would eliminate the Commanders from playoff contention.
The move by Rivera, 21-27-1 in three seasons at Washington, reeked of an effort at trying to justify the offseason move to acquire Wentz, who is on the books for $26.2 million in 2023 and $27.2 million in 2024, though none of that money is guaranteed.
Heinicke, meanwhile, is on the second year of a two-year deal paying him $2.9 million this year, and will be a free agent in the offseason.
A Week 17 game with a playoff berth on the line would seem to be an odd time to audition a QB for next year, but then, this is the Washington Commanders.
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Chris Graham
