Wentz lost starting gig after Week 6 finger injury
The Washington Commanders know the task at hand. Beat the Cleveland Browns this week and the Dallas Cowboys next week and a playoff berth is the pot of gold at the end of the NFL regular season. To do that, they are turning to Carson Wentz in Week 17 against the Browns.
Wentz replaced Taylor Heinicke last week and was 12-of-16 for 123 yards and a touchdown in garbage time against the San Francisco 49ers. Heinicke had two fourth-quarter turnovers and head coach Ron Rivera turned to Wentz to finish out the game’s final 19 offensive snaps. He was said to be “undecided” about who would start against the Browns and we got our answer on Wednesday.
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Most notably, the line on the game barely moved, with Washington -2 against Cleveland on Sunday.
Carson Wentz stats
When Wentz gave way to Heinicke because of injury, he had a 62.1% completion rate with a 10/6 TD/INT ratio. The 23 sacks he took in six games were a major concern, but he did only lose one of his six fumbles. Heinicke posted a 12/6 TD/INT ratio over his nine starts with a 62.2% completion rate.
QB wins is not a real stat, but many are talking about how the Commanders went 5-3-1 in Heinicke’s nine starts and 2-4 in Wentz’s six starts. For his career, he has a 151/63 TD/INT ratio, including a 27/7 TD/INT ratio last season with the Colts in 17 starts. One potential explanation for the switch is that Wentz has the higher ceiling and these two games mean everything to the Commanders.
Wentz also has the lower floor, so we’ll see which version of him we get on Sunday against an improved Browns defense of late.
Washington Commanders schedule
Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 18: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Washington is a slight favorite here and would appear to be an underdog next week against the Cowboys, but Dallas may not have anything to play for in Week 18. A loss this week or an Eagles win would lock up the NFC East for Philadelphia. Dallas will either be the top Wild Card team or the NFC East champ, so Week 18 may not matter.
BetMGM lists the Commanders to Make The Playoffs at Yes +165 and No -200. The Cowboys are -10 against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night and the Eagles are -7 against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
