NFL Week 1 Takeaways: Commanders Pass a Test; Be Happy for Saquon Barkley
No one would draw up a fourth quarter like the Commanders had, but believe it not, they’re grateful for it. And eventually, Ron Rivera conceded that to me, when we discussed how the final frame started with Washington up 14–12 and quickly devolved with two Carson Wentz picks that led to the Jaguars going up 22–14, which ultimately set the stage for hosts to rally for a stirring 28–22 win.
“You know how many people said that to me privately afterwards, that it was the best thing that happened to [the players]?” Rivera told me, a few hours later. “I said, How can you say that? They said, Look, he bounced back from two disastrous interceptions. For him to come back in that situation, do what he did, that was pretty damn good. I was like, You know what? They’re right. They’re right. He stuck with it; he hung in there and he kept fighting.”
It’s one day, of course, and it wasn’t a perfect one for Wentz. He finished 27-of-41 for 313 yards, four touchdowns and the two picks. His team won, which is the important thing. There are a lot of things he wants to clean up.
But the truth is, he did answer some questions, mostly because the meltdown was there to be had, and Wentz didn’t just sidestep it—he flipped it on its head.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/09/12/nfl-takeaways-carson-wentz-saquon-barkley-justin-jefferson
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Or put another way...