The Philadelphia Eagles were fortunate to be playing a rookie seventh-round pick making his first career start. Any other situation and Philly probably loses instead of taking home a 23-9 victory over Ben DiNucci and the Dallas Cowboys.
"We can't do the things we are doing in order to survive in this league," coach Doug Pederson said, via the Philly Inquirer. "We got to get better and fix it in a hurry."
The "things we are doing" in Philadelphia are mostly turnovers emanating from the right arm of quarterback Carson Wentz.
"There are too many turnovers, I got to be better," Wentz said.
Wentz committed four turnovers Sunday night, two interceptions and two fumbles. The interceptions were particularly dreadful, as the aggressive quarterback took unnecessary shots into coverage.
"I can be better and put the ball in the right spot, but I am not going to change my aggressive mentality," Wentz said. "We're going to start connecting on some of those big plays and obviously it hurt a little bit today, but the defense played great and we got the win.
"I am not good enough, I am pumped we got the win but I am going to have to watch the tape and I'm a little frustrated on how I played and how we left some plays out there, missed some big opportunities and I can be better."
Luckily for Wentz and the Eagles, they faced a Cowboys team that has just as many issues, if not more. DiNucci didn't throw an INT but fumbled twice on his own; his second was deemed by officials to be returned for a touchdown that put the game out of reach for Dallas.
When injuries haven't caused trouble, Wentz and the Eagles have been their own worst enemy.
The QB has 16 giveaways in 2020, most in the NFL.
Since 2000, no QB has made the playoffs after having 16-plus giveaways in his team's first eight games. Fortunately, the NFC East is so putrid that the Eagles extended their lead in the division to 1.5 games with the win.
It's rare that a victory feels somewhat like a loss. However, given the circumstances -- facing a rookie seventh-round QB and a defense that has been shredded -- the Eagles' win didn't provide many rays of sunshine.
"I know I can play better and a lot of it is coming down to taking care of the football," Wentz said. "I feel I am still the same aggressive guy that's going to pull the trigger and I never want to change that, but just being smart and putting it in the right spot."
At least for Philly, they pulled off the ugly win. To lose at home to a division rival in that circumstance could have brought about the end of times.
Wentz became the third starting QB since at least 1992 to win a game despite having two-plus INTs and two-plus lost fumbles, and generating fewer than 150 total yards (Wentz earned 123 yards passing and 17 yards rushing). The other two: Chicago's Rex Grossman in 2006 and New York's Eli Manning in 2007.
Each of those QBs reached the Super Bowl that season.
