Riverboat Ron’s gamble on Commanders QB Carson Wentz is a desperate move that he had to make | Opinion
re-inserting Carson Wentz as his starting quarterback and benching Taylor Heinicke.
Crunch time desperation? Playing the hot hand? Check. Check.
Bottom line, it’s the move that Rivera had to make about now, seeking a spark while the season is hanging by a thread.
Of course, Wentz, idling on injured reserve for several weeks while healing a fractured ring finger, is back in the position that was envisioned last spring when Washington traded a package of draft picks to get him from the Indianapolis Colts. He was supposed to be the long-awaited answer that Rivera has sought at the game’s most important position.
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So, good for Wentz. After once appearing to be one of the NFL’s young, future quarterback stars during his early years in Philadelphia, he has yet another chance to prove his worth after regressing to the level of mediocrity. That prove-it theme came with him to Washington, his third team in three years, and now it’s back in make-or-break splendor – a year after Wentz failed to put Indianapolis over the top when confronted by a similar, win-to-get-in situation.
He’ll get back into the starting lineup on New Year’s Day … which in some ways may feel like something out of the movie Groundhog Day.
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That the bottom fell out for Wentz in this situation last year in his one season with the Colts – who lost to the Raiders and Jaguars during the final two weeks to miss the playoffs – provides a double heaping of caution. Then again, Rivera at least has the hope of stock-market theory: Past performance does not indicate future results.