Colts QB Carson Wentz Delivers in the Clutch vs. Cardinals

Every franchise quarterback has that moment that proves to the fanbase that he is for real.

Whether it be a comeback win, a clutch performance, or an MVP run, there’s always a point where the quarterback has to put the team on his back and lead them to victory.

Before Saturday night, that moment had not come for Carson Wentz as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

Sure, there were some great performances by Wentz this year that led to victories. A win in primetime at San Francisco in the middle of a bomb cyclone is at the top of the list.

But there seemed to have been many more opportunities where the win was there for the taking, and Wentz could not capitalize. Whether it was suffering two sprained ankles against the Los Angeles Rams, the interceptions against the Tennessee Titans, or the turnovers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, something always got in the way of Wentz claiming that signature victory.

And after a performance against the New England Patriots in which Wentz went 5-of-12 for 57 yards, questions began to rise if Wentz could put the team on his back.

“I do think Carson has had many good games,” head coach Frank Reich said earlier this week. “I think for us to go where we are going to want to go, I think there are going to be games where Carson will be the ‘star of the game.’ I think that will have to happen.”

That moment was Christmas night.

While facing ups and downs throughout the night, and facing a defense hellbent on stopping superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, Wentz put the Colts on his back and led them to a 22-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Against a top-flight NFC team, Wentz didn’t flinch when the cards were stacked against him.

“Big one. Guys talked about it after the game – gutsy win,” Wentz said after the game. “Gutsy win in all three phases. We woke up this morning and found out more guys were sick and missing, tweaking the game plan this morning. The coaches did a great job to put us in the best position to succeed, and obviously, it was an up and down game. But for us to finish the way we did, that was huge.”

The Colts were down three of five starters on the offensive line before the game even started. Quenton Nelson (COVID), Ryan Kelly (personal), and Mark Glowinski (COVID) were all set to miss the game. Add to that the fact Eric Fisher went down with a knee injury, and Jack Doyle left in the first quarter with knee and ankle injuries, and the Colts were down five of their six best blockers on offense.

And yet, nothing seemed to phase QB1.

“I thought coaches did a great job with the next man up mentality, really throughout the week,” Wentz said. “Now this morning, on both sides of the ball, and then even within the game of trying to feel, we call a play, ‘Hey, we can’t call that one, Jack’s not in here.’ Those types of things. Our guys did a great job, coaches did a great job of getting us ready for that.”

The night started out well for Wentz, throwing a touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton on the first offensive drive for the Colts. It was a masterful play where Wentz patiently went through his reads to find Hilton streaking across the endzone.

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

📺: @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/gFiZMgNhwB
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 26, 2021

But the game did not come without its struggles. Wentz had a very shaky third quarter, missing his receivers and feeling the pressure before it got to him. With the Cardinals leading 13-12, the questions started to arise if Wentz wasn’t going to be able to lead this team to victory once again.

But Wentz never wavered, and Reich never wavered in his belief of the Colts’ quarterback.

“You don’t want to go through a rut, no player wants to go through a rut, but it happens all the time,” Reich admitted. “Just turn it around, just watch the games tomorrow. Quarterbacks get in ruts for a couple throws. I don’t want to over play that because it’s a 60-minute game, and what counts is ‘do you make the plays necessary to win.’ And he did. So, really happy with how he played.”

With a 15-13 lead in the fourth quarter, it was time for Wentz to take charge. It started with a 20-yard strike to Michael Pittman Jr. on second-and-17. This was followed by a 39-yard dart on the run to Hilton. Finally, the drive ends as Wentz rolls to his left and contorts his body to make the perfect throw to Dezmon Patmon in the back of the endzone. Ballgame.

WENTZ ➡️ PATMON

📺: @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/o6ulX7qAs0
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 26, 2021

“We just knew how we had to go score. We had to go score,” Wentz revealed. “It’s a good offense over there and our defense played lights out to hold them to only 16 points, but we knew we had to go score. We knew we had to go get it and convert some of those. And the way we picked up a couple of those big plays, receivers stepping up. ‘Dez,’ I’m pumped for him making a big play like that late it the game. That was huge. It was fun.”

“It was a great play by him, great play by ‘Dez’,” Reich said smiling. “It was an adjustment that we made on that play. We actually, on that play, it was a suggestion by Carson, to put ‘Dez’ on the route that he was on because we had originally all week long practiced it with him doing something else. At the last minute Carson said, ‘Hey, how about we do this with him.’ It was a last-second suggestion by him that Marcus (Brady), and I liked it. We were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”

Wentz ended the night going 18-of-28 (64.3%) for 225 yards and two touchdowns for a QB rating of 112.9. For the first time as a member of the Colts, Wentz put the team on his back and delivered in the clutch. While Taylor had over 100 yards once again, it was going to take the quarterback to get the Colts the win. And now the 9-6 Colts sit as a virtual lock for the playoffs.

Before the season began, Colts owner Jim Irsay the Colts would go as far as Wentz took them. Reich said this week Wentz would need to be the “star of the game” to get the Colts where they wanted to go. Saturday night had its up and downs, but Wentz came through when it mattered most.

And that is exactly what a franchise quarterback is supposed to do.

Have thoughts on Carson Wentz's clutch performance against the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas night? Drop a line in the comment section below and let us know what you think!

Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreSI.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.