Carson Wentz not the long-term answer for the Indianapolis Colts
By Matt Smith
After missing the playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts must take a hard look at Carson Wentz and the quarterback position for the future.
After an indisputable meltdown to end the regular season, Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts were forced to watch the Wild Card round from home.
But failing to appear in the playoffs – even after fivethirtyeight.com gave them a 98% chance of qualifying after Week 16 – doesn’t mean there weren’t lessons to be learned from the weekend.
The key ingredient to postseason success is clear: stellar quarterback play. That’s why stars like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow advanced to the divisional round with relative ease.
They also didn’t fall flat in the regular season when their teams needed a win the most.
Meanwhile, with a playoff spot on the line, Carson Wentz couldn’t muster anything against the lowly Jaguars. And he was dramatically outplayed by none other than Trevor Lawrence, who had a rookie season in Jacksonville worth forgetting.
While Wentz did have some shining moments (see Christmas day against Arizona), he often failed to rise to the occasion. And in addition to falling short at critical moments, the numbers also paint an ugly picture.
While only tallying seven interceptions, Wentz rarely took shots downfield. His 6.9 yards per passing attempt ranked just 23rd in the NFL during regular season play, and his completion percentage was an even more dreadful 27th in the league at 62.4%.
This offensive malaise came even as opposing defenses keyed in on star running back Jonathan Taylor, a situation that should’ve allowed the passing game to thrive.
The lack of a dynamic passing offense in Indianapolis spells doom for hopes of regularly contending for the Lombardi trophy. Even with steep financial costs, this makes the pursuit of high-profile talents like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson worthy of consideration.
In failing to rule out a change at the position, general manager Chris Ballard all but acknowledged this reality in his end-of-season press conference.
There are compelling reasons to not make a switch after just one season of Carson Wentz. He’s still owed $15 million in guaranteed money, and the Colts don’t possess a first-round draft selection.
But if the Colts want to make a postseason run and contend for a Super Bowl, it’s clear that Wentz isn’t the long-term answer. Could he win 9 or 10 games and maybe sneak into the playoffs? Sure. But that’s likely the ceiling.
Today’s NFL is a quarterback’s league. And if the Colts want to consistently win the AFC South and contend for the grand prize of football, Carson Wentz cannot be the leader of the Colts’ locker room.