Though Wentz wasn’t good, his decisiveness stood out to teammates and Coach Ron Rivera. They instructed his 10-week absence had helped him get extra snug within the offense, which improved his timing. Wentz appeared skeptical, however his progress, particularly in opposition to the blitz, was simple. His common time to throw was simply 2.07 seconds, in keeping with TruMedia, his quickest fee in 92 profession video games.
“[He] played with a smile on his face, which he didn’t really do the first part of the season,” tight finish Logan Thomas mentioned, including: “[The] ball [was] coming out of his hands at the right time, or at an earlier time. Instead of processing, he’s just playing.”
It appears unlikely Wentz will reinvent himself in his seventh NFL season, and there are causes to doubt he can maintain his efficiency from Saturday. San Francisco typically protected its large lead with smooth zone protection, giving Wentz simple throws, and Washington’s offensive line is nonetheless struggling. But if Wentz can proceed making fast selections — if he can keep away from sacks and hit checkdowns — he might considerably elevate the ground on his play, enhance the percentages of beating Cleveland on Sunday and increase the Commanders’ possibilities of snagging the No. 7 seed within the NFC.
There are a number of causes to consider in Wentz. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner now makes use of a run-first method that’s friendlier for quarterbacks, and Wentz has prior to now had video games stuffed with fast selections, particularly in opposition to the blitz, reminiscent of within the Week 1 win over Jacksonville.
On Sunday, Wentz will face Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods, who runs the same scheme to San Francisco’s; he was a coach with the 49ers in 2019. Woods will in all probability generate strain together with his two elite edge rushers, Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, and hunt for large unfavorable performs by blitzing. In two video games in opposition to Wentz, Woods has despatched strain 31.9 % of the time, which is a barely above-average fee, in keeping with TruMedia.
The method will pressure Wentz to face a query that has dogged him his entire profession: Can he persistently make fast selections? Can he maintain the offense on schedule?
“I’ve always tried to have that be my M.O.,” Wentz mentioned Wednesday. “Obviously, there’s moments I’m kicking myself, where I should have got the ball out quicker. … Obviously, [when defenses are] bringing the pressure, I don’t want to go down with a ball in my hand back there — just get it to the playmakers. I’m going to continue to try and keep doing that.”
In San Francisco, Turner mentioned, Wentz’s footwork and decision-making confirmed he has made progress in understanding the intricacies of the offense. Early within the season, a lot of Wentz’s issues stemmed from passing up simpler throws as a result of he thought he might get to one thing higher. “You can’t do that,” Turner mentioned. In his scheme, the quarterback’s ft, or “hitches,” are synced to the routes, which makes timing vital.
“Your feet are the clock in your head,” Turner mentioned. “Like, we’re supposed to throw this route off one hitch, and then the next route is off your second hitch, and if you haven’t done that by then, then it’s fine to check down or throw the ball away. If you’re hanging too long on the route … that’s where it gets out of whack.”
In the primary six weeks, when Wentz held the ball longer than 2.5 seconds, he was sacked 16 % of the time, tied for the second-highest fee within the NFL. But in opposition to the 49ers, his urgency helped him keep away from the push and get the ball to playmakers. This was most blatant when he merely threw over the blitz, reminiscent of on one third and one, when, simply earlier than the snap, he observed the slot nook shift from overlaying receiver Curtis Samuel to the sting of the offensive line. Wentz rifled the ball over the blitzing nook to the uncovered Samuel for a primary down.
Perhaps the perfect encapsulation was his fourth play. Running again Jonathan Williams mentioned Wentz informed him whereas he was strolling to the road, “Hey, make sure you get out.” Wentz was speaking about what the Commanders name a sneak route. If Williams’s defenders didn’t blitz, Wentz wished him to leak out of the backfield and turn into a checkdown. To Williams, the remark was an acknowledgment of how rapidly the 49ers’ move rush was getting strain, and Wentz didn’t need Williams to dally whereas studying the protection.
After the snap, Wentz learn the routes, didn’t see anybody open and stepped up within the pocket as the push closed in. Earlier within the season, the play would have nearly actually resulted in a sack, however this time, he knew Williams can be there and bought to him on the final second. It was the longest he had waited to throw all sport (three seconds), and it become the longest acquire (21 yards).
Washington’s passing unit must regulate to Wentz. Terry McLaurin mentioned the receivers will acclimate rapidly to his timing and arm energy, and he appeared excited by the bolstered confidence Wentz flashed in opposition to the 49ers. He pointed to the landing Wentz threw to him down the precise sideline in opposition to cover-two within the Jacksonville sport — “probably five to seven guys in the league can hit that” — and mentioned Wentz could make the offense extra vertical and explosive.
“For me, going into this week, you know, ‘Okay, on that kind of look, I got to be alive. I got to be expecting that kind of pass from him,’” McLaurin mentioned. “That’s exciting for a receiver, when you know any route is pretty much live.”
Linemen should regulate to the cadence of Wentz’s voice and the depth of his dropbacks. Wentz, at 6-foot-5, can see over the road higher than Taylor Heinicke, who is generously listed at 6-1, so Wentz’s drops are often a yard or three shorter than Heinicke’s. Right deal with Cornelius Lucas mentioned he doesn’t care how deep a quarterback drops so long as he’s constant.
Against Heinicke, defensive linemen typically tried exterior pace rushes; if they may get to the highest of the pocket, the quarterback would in all probability be there. But as a result of Wentz takes shallower drops, Lucas mentioned, defenders may strive extra inside strikes or these with energy.
In switching quarterbacks, Rivera is betting Wentz can maintain the decisiveness he confirmed in opposition to San Francisco. Things might go haywire — Wentz might have missed the move to Williams by a break up second, or the try might have resulted in a turnover — however what he noticed made him prepared to take the danger. Recently, Rivera recounted watching the movie and seeing the nice selections stack up.
“It’s all [about] understanding when to get it out and who to get it out to,” he mentioned.
