Commanders QB Carson Wentz Faces Familiar Foe in Jaguars Coach Doug Pederson

Wentz and Pederson were members of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-20.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 6, 2022

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Washington Commanders

The last time Doug Pederson was the head coach of an NFL team, he lost the 2020 season finale to Ron Rivera. In his return, Pederson leads the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 season opener against Rivera's Washington Commanders.

Pederson's quarterback in his final coached game with the Philadelphia Eagles was Carson Wentz, but in this meeting, Wentz is flipping side to Rivera's team. Rivera believes Wentz's experience with Pederson helps them this week against the Jaguars.

"The insights that Carson can give us are or has already given us is huge," Rivera said. "And so, you know, we'll take that to heart, but we'll take it for what it's worth. I mean, it's more about what they've got planned for us than what they've done.”

Rivera is 3-1 against Pederson in his coaching career, but the Commanders coach doesn't want to underestimate the Jaguars, who despite finishing with the league's worst record the past two seasons, isn't an opponent Washington is taking lightly.

"I know they're very well coached," Rivera said. "I've had the opportunity to be around Doug [Pederson] and I know who Doug is. Doug's got a tremendous resume as well, not just as a coach, but as a player and he's had a great deal of success."

"I think this is going to be a much better team than people give them credit for,” Rivera said.

The Jaguars play the Commanders Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Published Sep 6, 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.