Carson Wentz’s impressive debut for the Philadelphia Eagles continues to receive glowing reviews.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wentz—who threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Cleveland Browns—graded out as the best rookie quarterback in Week 1 since Cam Newton in 2011.
“The former North Dakota State standout recorded an adjusted completion percentage of 81.3 (fourth-best among QBs) and gained 68.7 percent of his yards through the air in what couldn’t have been a more encouraging start to an NFL career,” PFF’s Mike Renner wrote.
Wentz also graded out as PFF’s best overall rookie in Week 1. Only two quarterbacks finished the week with a higher overall mark.
The second overall pick, Wentz didn’t look pegged for the starting job as recently as two weeks ago. But when the Eagles shipped starter Sam Bradford to Minnesota for a pair of draft picks, the Eagles decided to keep Chase Daniel as the backup and start Wentz in the season opener.
The rookie didn’t disappoint.
His first drive as an NFL quarterback ended with a high-lofted touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews. Later, Wentz put the dagger in Cleveland with another rainbow throw to Nelson Agholor for a 22-yard score.
Wentz didn’t have a turnover and finished with a passer rating of 101.0.
According to Pro Football Reference, Wentz became just the ninth rookie quarterback to throw two touchdowns with a passer rating over 100.0 in Week 1.
One game is just one game (keep in mind, EJ Manuel once threw for two touchdowns in his NFL debut), but Wentz’s debut was nothing to sneeze at. He’ll get a chance to stack successes in Week 2, when the Eagles go on the road to take on the Chicago Bears.
