Why RGIII called Week 1 'the most Carson Wentz game ever' originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Commanders fans saw two versions of Carson Wentz during their team's season-opening win over the Jaguars Sunday.
There was "Good Carson," who connected with Washington receivers for 313 yards and four touchdowns, including a 49-yard dime to Terry McLaurin for six points in the fourth quarter. Then there was "Bad Carson," who threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions to help the Jaguars turn a 14-3 halftime deficit into a 22-14 lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the game.
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Everything worked out for the Commanders in the end, as "Good Carson" outlasted "Bad Carson" thanks to a go-ahead touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson in the final two minutes. Still, the rollercoaster experience was real for Washington's newest signal caller in Week 1. Robert Griffin III joined The Sports Junkies Monday to dissect what he called, "The most Carson Wentz game ever."
"He made the two Cardinal sins on the out route," Griffin said of Wentz's first interception. "You don't throw it late, and you don't throw it inside. He did that, he got picked off. And then he throws one directly to Travon Walker which to me, the screen was never there. He shouldn't have even thrown the ball.
"That's why I say it was the most Carson Wentz game ever because then he comes back and makes that throw to [McLaurin] down the sideline," Griffin said. "There might be five guys in the league that can make that throw. That's why he has been the starting quarterback for three different teams in three years, it's because of that type of talent."
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Since Wentz's first day as a Commander, coaches and teammates have lauded the quarterback's arm talent and his ability to test defenses downfield in a way most players at his position can't. His decision-making and accuracy issues have plagued him over the previous two seasons with the Eagles and Colts respectively.
To Griffin, the accuracy issues are born out of Wentz's physical profile as a long-armed, 6'5 quarterback.
"My coach used to call him a 'space-thrower,'" Griffin said. "It means he's a wide-base guy, so he needs a lot of space to make throws. He's a long-limbed guy, so if [a defense] gets a lot of push up the middle, it's gonna make him sail the ball because he's not gonna get all his momentum through the throws.
As far as Wentz's mental lapses and head-scratching throws that turn into costly turnovers, Griffin believes those habits could be a product of boredom.
"Ultimately I think it comes down to him just being bored at times," Griffin said. "He's so talented, he can make every single throw, he started the game out hot. I think Carson just gets bored sometimes and starts to make throws and play with things he probably shouldn't. To me, that's his own kryptonite that he has to stay focused and coaches have to keep him dialed in so he doesn't have those little mental lapses."
There was a lot of good, and nearly too much bad, from Wentz's first game with the Commanders. Fortunately, there are 16 more of these games to go. Ron Rivera's group can simply look at how they were in control of the game before Wentz's interception spree and see it as a sign of the squad's overall potential.
"You look at the game, 14-3 [at halftime], the Commanders should've blown [Jacksonville] out," Griffin said. "But it turned into a game and part of that was the turnovers by Carson Wentz. If he cuts those out, this team could be really, really dangerous down the stretch."
