Horseshoe Huddle

Wentzday: Colts QB Carson Wentz the “Star of The Game” in Win vs. Cardinals

While it was an up and down performance overall for Wentz, he made the big plays when it mattered most to secure the win for the Colts.

Andrew Moore

In this story:

It’s not often that fans of the Indianapolis Colts get to enjoy watching their favorite team on Christmas. It’s even more enjoyable when they get the win.

The Colts traveled out west and pulled out a victory over the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 22-16 at State Farm Stadium. Despite being down six starters, including guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard, the Colts made a statement and beat one of the best teams in the NFC.

While running back Jonathan Taylor continued his streak of 100-yard rushing performances, the player who put the team on his back was quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz finished the day going 18-of-28 (64.3%) for 225 yards and two touchdowns for a 112.9 quarterback rating. It was his clutch touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for Indy.

“We just knew how we had to go score. We had to go score. It’s a good offense over there and our defense played lights out to hold them to only 16 points, but we knew we had to go score. We knew we had to go get it and convert some of those. And the way we picked up a couple of those big plays, receivers stepping up. ‘Dez,’ (Patmon) I’m pumped for him making a big play like that late it the game. That was huge. It was fun.”

This week’s “Wentzday” installment on Horseshoe Huddle will look much different than the last as we see how Wentz overcame a shaky middle to the game to become the hero on Saturday night.

Fast Start

The Colts and Wentz got off to a fast start on offense against the Cardinals. After a 43-yard run by Taylor, Wentz took care of the rest with a screen to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and a touchdown to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Notice on the touchdown throw how Wentz stays calm in the pocket and goes through his reads until he finds Hilton wide open in the end zone. This became a theme throughout the night when Wentz had a clean pocket.

Making Confident Reads

Wentz continued to make smart reads when given a clean pocket. The first throw to wide receiver Ashton Dulin was a dart from Wentz. He used anticipation and arm strength to fire it past the lurking linebacker. The throw to tight end Mo Alie-Cox is another example of Wentz going through multiple reads before finding Alie-Cox for the huge gain.

Another aspect of these throws is they were both on third down. Wentz did a good job of converting on the money down, with the Colts converting 8/15 on third.

In-Sync with Michael Pittman Jr.

Last week against the New England Patriots, Wentz had very little success connecting with his favorite target. Pittman only had one catch for seven yards on five targets against the Patriots and was ejected in the third quarter after being involved in a scuffle with Patriots defensive back Kyle Dugger.

This was certainly not the case this week as Wentz and Pittman were back to their old ways. Pittman recorded eight catches for 82 yards on 12 targets, with many of those catches going for first downs.

This series has documented in detail the connection between Wentz and Pittman this year. At 971 yards on the season, Pittman is only 29 yards away from being the first Colts wide receiver to go over 1,000 yards in a season since Hilton in 2018. It would also be the first time Wentz has had a wide receiver go for over 1,000 yards in a season. The Colts are hoping this is the first of many for the Wentz and Pittman duo.

Facing the Cardinals’ Pressure

With the Colts down three of their five starters along the offensive line to start the night, pressure on Wentz was bound to happen. Add in the fact that left tackle Eric Fisher and tight end Jack Doyle both left the game with injuries before halftime, and defending the Cardinals’ pass rush was going to be a real problem.

Despite facing pressure in the second quarter, Wentz was still able to make some nice throws. His quick decisions led to conversions, keeping drives alive.

Unfortunately for Wentz, the pressure did eventually get to him. As the game went into the third quarter, it was obvious the pressure was affecting him and his throws.

As you’ll see in the next set of slips, Wentz began to speed up his throwing process, thus causing his mechanics to get sloppy and his throws off-target. We even see him start to fade away on throws where it’s not needed, something that was on his tape from 2020 in Philadelphia.

It’s not surprising the pressure started to get to Wentz. But if the Colts were going to win the game, Wentz would need to overcome this and make the plays his team needed.

“Star of The Game”

After Wentz’s performance against the Patriots where he went 5-of-12 for 57 yards, head coach Frank Reich was asked if Wentz would need to eventually win a game for the Colts.

“I do think Carson has had many good games,” Reich said. “I think for us to go where we are going to want to go, I think there are going to be games where Carson will be the ‘star of the game.’ I think that will have to happen.”

Saturday night was just that. While Taylor had over 100 yards, the Cardinals did a good job of stifling the running game. It would be up to Wentz to put the team on his back and get the win.

The last clip shows the throws Wentz made on the final touchdown drive of the night. It starts with a bullet to Pittman on second-and-17 for the first. This was followed by a perfect throw on the run to Hilton for 39 yards. Finally, the last throw is an off-platform strike by Wentz to wide receiver Dezmon Patmon in the back of the end zone.

Not only does Wentz have to twist his body and make a perfect throw, but he also does so with a Cardinals rusher directly in his face and laying a hit on the quarterback after he releases the ball. Not many quarterbacks can make a throw like that, and it shows just the type of talent Wentz possesses.

Final Assessment

Carson Wentz showed that he can be the “star of the game” in the Colts’ victory over the Cardinals. While he had his struggles at certain points of the game, he made plays when it mattered most and got the Colts to 9-6. This is something we were waiting to see from Wentz in a Colts uniform and gives the quarterback confidence as the playoffs approach.

Week 17 brings the Las Vegas Raiders to town as they make their push to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately, Wentz’s status for the game is in doubt as he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. Due to the NFL and NFLPA agreeing on new protocols, Wentz has a chance to play on Sunday if he is asymptomatic or shows reducing symptoms.

While Sunday is still a ways off, there is optimism that Wentz and other key Colts’ players on the list can return in time for the matchup. If that is the case, expect a Colts team ready to fight and secure their spot in the NFL playoffs.

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Have thoughts on the overall assessment of Carson Wentz coming out of the Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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