It's Now or Never For Commanders QB Carson Wentz

The Washington Commanders are counting on Carson Wentz to lead them to victory in the final two games of the season to reach the playoffs. Can he redeem himself?

Jeremy Brener | Dec 28, 2022

At this time a year ago, Carson Wentz needed to win one of the Indianapolis Colts' final two games to earn a trip to the playoffs.

He couldn't get it done, which ultimately led to the decision for Indianapolis to trade him to the Washington Commanders early in the offseason.

Now, flash forward to the present day and Wentz finds him in an eerily similar position after being elevated back to the starting lineup.

The Commanders need to win each of their final two games against the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys to guarantee a spot in the playoffs. A loss would open the door for any 7-8 team (Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers) to steal their spot in the playoff race.

Wentz's inability to get the job done last year with the Colts pushed him to arguably his last potential NFL stop as a starter with the Commanders. After six games in the starting role, Wentz was 2-4 before injuring his ring finger that required surgery.

Taylor Heinicke stepped in, posting a 5-3-1 record, but his efforts weren't enough to keep the starting spot.

If Wentz's play during these last two winnable home games aren't enough to get Washington to the playoffs, it's hard to see the Commanders commit to him as the starter again for 2023 and the team will likely move on from him. The other 31 NFL teams also probably would not give him a chance to start after fumbling the job for two separate teams to make the playoffs, which means these next two games for Wentz will determine his fate on his status as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

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Published Dec 28, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.