Carson Wentz has Bruised Hand, not Expected to Miss Time
About 15 minutes before Eagles head coach Doug Pederson addressed the media on Monday, quarterback Carson Wentz was spotted walking out of the team’s training facility fiddling with a cellphone in his right hand.
There was no wrap or bandage covering the hand. That doesn’t mean all is completely well.
Pederson said the hand is bruised. It happened during the Eagles’ 17-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Wentz left the field for a few minutes, running up the tunnel and into the X-ray room for a quick picture. Everything was negative, so Wentz hustled back out to the field without missing a snap.
Pederson said Wentz should be OK to play on Sunday when the Eagles visit the Miami Dolphins for a 1 p.m. game.
“It’s kind of in the middle finger there,” said Pederson about the bruise. “(He’s) day-to-day, should be fine for the game.”
Pederson said he doesn’t expect Wentz to miss any practice time this week.
Asked if he thought it may affect the way he throws, Pederson said: “It's on his right hand. It's going to affect it a little bit. It's sore, being able to grip the football, but he battled through it and finished the game.”
Wentz suffered through what was arguably his worst day as a professional on Sunday, turning the ball over four times, with two fumbles and two interceptions.
His numbers didn’t look terrible – 33-for-45, 256 yards – but a lot of those throws came on the final drive when the Seahawks had a comfortable cushion and were playing more of a prevent defense.
Pederson, as he always does, defended Wentz’s play.
The coach said his quarterback getting hit early – he was sacked three times in the game – made him a little erratic.
Pederson compared Wentz's bad game to the bad game played by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Rodgers threw for just 104 yards with one fumble in a 37-8 blowout loss.
“Wentz got hit early in the game that there were a couple of times, he (was) just a little erratic - just be able to set your feet and that comes with the extra contact,” said Pederson. “As the game progressed and again watching the film this morning, if you remove the turnovers, it's really not as bad as it appears.”
Pederson denied that Wentz, after missing several shorts throws, including overthrowing one badly to a wide-open Miles Sanders in the flat once the Eagles had reached the Seahawks’ 10-yard line in the first quarter, has the “yips.” Sanders had room to perhaps make a move to score a touchdown on that third down pass, but, instead, the Eagles settled for a field goal.
“I would love for you to stand back there and play quarterback in the National Football League and take some of the shots that these quarterbacks take,” sad Pederson. “Look at the game (Sunday) night, Aaron Rodgers is affected in the game because he's getting hit and knocked around off his spot.
"So it affects guys and yet he’s tough, he stands in there, he makes some great throws down the field, doesn't shy away from that contact and yet, obviously, that's the position that gets the most criticism.”
