First impressions mean a lot in sports, and Carson Wentz introduced himself to Philly fans with a very good one.

The quarterback that wouldn’t have been the starter were it not for a too-good-to-turn-down trade for incumbent Sam Bradford came out flying. Three wins in his first three games — including one over the state rival Steelers — that featured five touchdowns, no interceptions and a 256 yard per game average. The loss in his next game didn’t do much to damper exceptions, because there was a lot to like about his two-touchdown performance against the Lions.

Never mind any of the warning signs. The small sample size. The training wheels put on him by the coaching team. The weaknesses that opposing teams hadn’t been prepared enough to see. The point was already made: the Eagles had finally found their new franchise quarterback.

What’s being conveniently forgotten is how muted Wentz’s rookie season is starting to look in the meantime.

Wentz lost five of his next seven games following that loss against the Lions on October 9th. In four of those games he failed to throw even one touchdown pass, and during that same period he threw more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (four).

Even if you include his good early weeks, his overall stats are hardly impressive: He’s 19 of 28 in total yards of quarterbacks with at least 10 starts; 25th in yards per game; 25th in Quarterback Rating; 27th in QBR; 29th in yards per catch; and his touchdown percentage is 32nd in the league.

Wentz may well turn out to be the Eagles’ future. He’s a hard worker and likable, which will undoubtedly serve him well, and it’s still very early within the scope of his potential career. But the cold truth is that there are very few redeeming features in the statistics listed above. Were it not for a of a fun few weeks that caught everybody by surprise (remember Nick Foles, everyone?) Wentz has looked very much like the rookie quarterback that he is.

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