Commander Country

Carson Won't Be Circling Washington Anymore

The Washington Football Team defense was brutal to start and it took a little while to get the engine running. Then it did & it was lights out.

Bryan Manning

Since Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz entered the NFL back in 2016, he had a 5-2 record against Washington. It wasn’t just that Wentz had a solid win/loss record against Philly’s NFC East rival, but it was his sheer dominance in those performances.

Inside the Numbers: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Football Team

In his first seven games against Washington, Wentz completed almost 68 percent of his passes for 1,953 yards, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His quarterback rating was a strong 103.7.

Do yourself a favor and go to You Tube and search “Carson Wentz highlights,” and you’ll see plenty of plays where Wentz made the Washington Football Team look silly.

As the 2020 season opened on Sunday, it looked more of the same with Wentz and his Eagles jumping out to a 17-0 lead.

Halftime Hot Read: A Brutal Start for the Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia

However, Sunday wasn’t going to be like any of Wentz’s seven previous meetings against Washington, thanks to a fearsome defensive line.

Led by rookie phenom Chase Young, Washington sacked Wentz eight times on Sunday afternoon, forcing multiple turnovers and helping erase a 17-point deficit and turn it into a 27-17 victory for Washington.

© Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Young, the No. 2 overall pick out of Ohio State, finished the game with 1.5 sacks, but his impact on the game was much larger.

Young’s first NFL sack came late in the first quarter against All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters. In past years, when it looked like Wentz was going to escape, he did.

Not on Sunday. Not only did Young bring Wentz to the ground, but he also popped the ball loose.

He wasn’t finished.

Late in the game, when Wentz tried to step up in the pocket, Young was having none of it as he hit Wentz and forced another fumble. This time, Ryan Kerrigan picked it up, and it sealed the game for Washington.

Young’s presence changed things for other members of Washington’s defense, too.

Kerrigan broke Dexter Manley’s franchise record by recording two sacks of Wentz. The two sacks give him 92 for his career, and the veteran from Purdue looks reenergized after his worst statistical season in 2019.

Last year’s first-round pick, Montez Sweat, got in on the fun, too, with a sack. Sweat, playing in a more comfortable position with his hand on the ground, looks poised for a big season.

On the day, Washington recorded eight sacks, as Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis and Jon Bostic joined Young, Kerrigan and Sweat in the sack party.

Young had another sack that was taken away when Ioannidis was lined up in the neutral zone. Washington actually picked off the pass (Payne), but unfortunately, the turnover didn’t stand.

So, you think this team can only get after the passer?

The Eagles were held to just 57 yards rushing on a meager 3.4 yards per attempt. Yes, Miles Sanders was inactive but that's still impressive. 

This Washington team has many flaws. However, what it does have is a defensive line that is the league’s envy, and that will keep this team in games when the offense is struggling to move the football.

All offseason, we’ve heard about culture. On Sunday, we saw a bit of head coach Ron Rivera’s culture shift. In the past 10 years, no Washington team would have won this football game after being down 17-0 to a division rival.

This team is different.

A strong defensive line covers a lot of flaws. It can make a shaky secondary look better or camouflage a struggling linebacker corps. Most importantly, it can keep an inferior team in games against more talented opponents.

The Washington Football Team still has a long way back to respectability, but Sunday’s performance showed this team is on the right track, and Chase Young is exactly the player we envisioned.

And Carson Wentz won’t be circling Washington on his calendar any longer. '

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Bryan Manning writes about the Washington Football Team for 'Washington Football' and contributed to All Hokies on SI.com as well. He has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company. 

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Bryan Manning
BRYAN MANNING

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