Eagles-Packers preview: Wentz worried about potential rookie replacement, unlike Rodgers

Carson Wentz hasn't exactly earned much loyalty this season, and that explains why we are starting to see a change in how the Eagles use rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

It's not so much that Hurts is getting more than his typical handful of plays during the game – at least not yet. It's just that Wentz, for the first time, was on the sidelines for one of the plays, last Monday night against Seattle.

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It's fair to wonder if Hurts will get multiple plays, or a full series, with Wentz on the sidelines when the Eagles face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.  

Obviously, Wentz's psyche is a concern, and Eagles coach Doug Pederson admitted as much.

"I do consider Carson, obviously, because it is a quarterback change for a play or two," Pederson said. "My approach has always been one that I want to communicate this with Carson, too. I don’t want to catch him off guard. I want him to be prepared for when Jalen enters the football game or comes in from time to time.

"He’s embraced it. He’s done a good job with it. We do everything we can to try to win games and get those two guys on the field if possible."

It's gotten to the point where Pederson is being asked if he's going to bench Wentz.

Then again, no one would be clamoring for Hurts if Wentz was having a decent enough season. Instead, he's having the worst season of his career. He's thrown an NFL-high 15 interceptions.

Wentz has also completed just 58.1% of his passes and has a QB rating of 73.4, both among the worst marks for starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Wentz has also been sacked a league-high 46 times.

Look at it this way: The Packers went so far as to draft Jordan Love in the first round last spring, and that's with Aaron Rodgers as the franchise quarterback. "Not going to say I was thrilled by the pick," Rodgers said then, while also welcoming Love into the fold.

Rodgers responded by having possibly the best season of his career, at the age of 37, for the 8-3 Packers.

Rodgers leads the NFL in passer rating (117.6), touchdown passes (33) – against just 4 interceptions – and is sixth in passing yards with 3,100. He has been sacked only 11 times. Only two regular starting QBs have been sacked fewer times.

"You’re talking about one of the all-time greats, regardless of position," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said about Rodgers. "I don’t know how he does it. But he’s doing it. And he’s doing it consistently, day in, day out.

"We’re fortunate to have a guy of that caliber. He makes everybody around him better. You can see it every time he steps out on that field."

In other words, there's no talk about the possibility of Love getting in for a handful of plays or so.

Since we're already at that point with Wentz, here are two factors that the Eagles have to consider:

1. Drew Brees does it: The Saints quarterback will go down as one of the top five quarterbacks in NFL history. Yet ever since the Saints started using Taysom Hill in those gadget plays, Brees has come off the field from time to time. That is, before Brees was sidelined the past few games with cracked ribs.

Maybe part of it is because if Hill is lined up at quarterback with Brees on the field, the defense can leave Brees alone and focus on Hill, or send an extra defender to Michael Thomas.

2. What happens if Hurts succeeds?

This is the trickiest balancing act for the Eagles.

Let's say, for example, Hurts comes in for a series with Wentz on the sidelines and leads the Eagles down the field for a touchdown or field goal, maybe completing a few passes, escaping pressure and running for a first down or two, running the read-option effectively with Miles Sanders.

And then, the next series, Wentz comes back in and the Eagles go three-and-out.

The clamoring is already heated for Hurts to get a chance, especially if the Eagles keep losing and fall farther back in the NFC East race. It will be in full throttle if that happens.

Again, Rodgers doesn't have to deal with any of that because he's playing like, well, Aaron Rodgers.

Prediction

This would seem like a mismatch on so many levels.

For one, the Eagles are traveling to Green Bay on a short week. In addition, they're using their 11th offensive line combination in 12 games, and they're going up against the highest-scoring team in the NFL, averaging 31.7 points per game. The Eagles, meanwhile, have not scored as many as 30 points in a single game this season. The 0-11 Jets are the only other team that hasn't scored 30.

Yet the Eagles went to Green Bay last year and upset the Packers 34-27 in nearly similar circumstances. In that game, the Eagles rushed for 176 yards, led by Jordan Howard with 87 yards and Miles Sanders with 72.

The Eagles still won despite Rodgers throwing for 422 yards, and Davante Adams with 180 yards receiving. 

That could be the same formula this time as the Packers give up an average of 114.5 rushing yards per game.

Of course, Sanders has yet to have more than 20 carries in a game. That will have to change.

"(The running game) can be a key, just establishing the run and being consistent with it throughout the game," Sanders said. "I think that’ll definitely give us a chance to stay on the field, and keep (Rodgers) out of the game."

It's the only chance the Eagles have. It just won't be enough.

Score: Packers 33, Eagles 20

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.