The Carson Wentz Snap Tracker- Week 5
By Dylan MacKinnon
Another week of Carson Wentz staying healthy, and playing every snap. The prospect of Wentz playing 75% of the snaps gets more and more likely every week. Meaning there is a chance the Eagles will be holding onto 3 first round picks come April. Their own, the Dolphins, and potentially the Colts. Here is the snap breakdown for Wentz in week 5
Week 5 Snap Count
Wentz snaps- 69
Team Snaps- 69
Percentage- 100%
Total Snap Count
Wentz Snaps-339
Team Snaps-344
Percentage- 98.5%
Wentz could miss the next 113 snaps before falling below the 75% mark. For what it is worth, he can miss 145 snaps before falling below 70%. That number is only relevant if the Colts make the playoffs. The Colts do not seemed poised to make the playoffs.
The Colts were on their way to their 2nd win. But they blew a massive lead, and missed two FGs in the waning minutes of the game, that let the Ravens come back. The Ravens went on to beat them in OT. They fall to 1-4, tied for second in the AFC South. Two games behind the 3-2 Titans. While a worse record means a better draft pick, the Colts staying within playoff contention will ensure they keep playing Wentz.
The Question is do they bench Wentz if they fall out of contention? As valuable as the first may be, how would it go over if a team intentionally tanked the last 5 or so games of the year. Because putting any of the Colts backup in is nothing short of tanking. from a far it is reasonable to do so to preserve the pick. But how does that go over in the locker room?
Over the next 8 games, the Colts play the Texans twice, the Jets, and the Jaguars. That should be 4 wins. Emphasis on the word should. Provided they take care of business, they would be looking at 5-8, heading into their bye week. That is about when Wentz would cross the line to have 75% on the season.
With the Colts averaging 68.8 snaps a game, Wentz will need an estimated 877 snaps total on the season to stay above 75% at that pace. He will need 538 more snaps to reach that mark. And he will need to play in about 8 more games to reach that many snaps. That takes them right up until the bye week. Eagles need them to stick around at least that long to avoid a situation where they bench Wentz.
Another interesting part of this game, is that Wentz played well. Eagles fans may say they do not care what Wentz does, but they should. Because if they want Wentz to play 75% of the snaps, he needs to play well enough to not get benched. He had 362 yards and two touchdowns. He also led a late drive that put his team in range for a game winning FG. But the Colts kicker missed it. His play overall has been mediocre, ranking in the twenties in many QB stats. But the Colts other options are non existent. If he plays like this, it will be hard to bench him.
