PHILADELPHIA -- It has turned into a near-weekly occurrence.
During his postgame news conference, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is inevitably asked about a specific, mean-looking hit he absorbed, or a barrage of them, followed by some version of the same question:
Are you OK?
And every time, Wentz has smiled and offered the same response.
“We’re good,” he says.
To this point, the body has held up well. The 24-year-old Wentz has started all 25 games since his 2016 rookie season and looks no worse for the wear. He’s an early favorite for MVP, with an NFL-high 23 touchdown passes for the 8-1 Eagles.
Two qualities that stand out are his ability to extend plays with his legs while keeping his eyes downfield, and his willingness to stand in the pocket to deliver a pass knowing he’s about to take a shot.
Both have played big roles in his success to this point, and both come at a cost.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Wentz has been sacked or hit 63 times while throwing or running this season, the sixth most in the NFL. The QB contact number for Wentz over the past two seasons is 144, which ranks fourth behind Cam Newton, Tyrod Taylor and Russell Wilson.
That's a fair amount of punishment.
“There are some times ... going back and watching the tape, maybe you could have just taken the underneath route or something,” Wentz said. “There’s a fine line every week of knowing when to get rid of the ball and when to kind of hold onto it to kind of make that play.”
Coach Doug Pederson identified where that line is for him.
“For me, for the most part, No. 1 is protect yourself, whether it's sliding, going down or getting out of bounds," Pederson said. "That's the first thing. I've said this before that unless it's the game-winner in the Super Bowl, protect yourself. And that's the line.”
Wentz dances along it regularly.
He is a football player first and a quarterback second. Wentz rushed the ball 216 times at North Dakota State for more than 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns, often lowering his shoulder against linebackers and defensive backs to finish the play. While that has been on display less frequently at this level, there are moments that leave his teammates and coaches holding their breath.
“A lot of times I'm on the sideline yelling, 'Slide!' because sometimes he goes for the extra 2 yards that we really don't need,” said safety Malcolm Jenkins. “But it's fun to watch him, man. He's an exciting, electric player.”
While Wentz has shown some serious toughness and durability to this point, a look at his not-so-distant past tells us he’s not invincible, even if he looks it at the moment. He suffered a hairline rib fracture in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay on a jarring hit from linebacker Micah Awe last August and missed the next three preseason games. He also was sidelined for a good portion of his senior season at North Dakota State after breaking a bone in his throwing wrist.
NFL football is a game of attrition. Any team that has a high-end QB, and is able to keep him upright throughout the season, is typically set up for success. The first-place Eagles will be operating without stud left tackle Jason Peters (torn ACL, MCL) for the remainder of the season and have some sack-happy defenses remaining on their schedule, including this week’s opponent, the Cowboys, who rank fifth in the NFL with 25 takedowns. The most important objective is to get Wentz through this gauntlet unscathed so he’s available for playoff ball in January.
“We know this is a physical game. A part of Carson's strength is his ability to run. I think some of his toughness early on has shown. And we just continue to have conversations with him,” Pederson said. “And just want to make sure he's protecting himself. We need him for all 16 games. It's just something that we need to continue to try to educate him on and make sure that he's aware of his importance to the football team.”