Colts QB Carson Wentz has solid debut despite shaky O-line play

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Colts QB Carson Wentz has solid debut despite shaky O-line play
Akeem Glaspie
Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS -- The constant pressure Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz faced from the Seattle Seahawks defense turned sacks into into incompletions through impressive displays of athleticism.

Just 41 days removed from surgery to remove a piece of bone in his left foot, Wentz spent most of Sunday's 28-16 season-opening loss, scrambling, ducking and picking himself up off the ground after forceful blows from the Seattle defense.

Wentz was hit 10 times and sacked three more, but Indy's new QB1 avoided the head-scratching mistakes that defined the latter part of his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz finished 25-of-38 (65.8%) for 251 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His 102.0 quarterback rating is his highest mark since a Week 16 start against the Dallas Cowboys in 2019.

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Wentz has solid debut despite shaky O-line play
Wentz's first possession as Colts starter ended with a 21-yard Rodrigo Blankenship field goal, capping a methodical 14-play drive. Wentz's first completion was a third-down conversion to rookie Michael Strachan on an in-breaking route for 10 yards.

Running back Jonathan Taylor got just enough of blitzing safety Jamal Adams for Wentz to throw his first touchdown as a Colt to Zach Pascal in the second quarter.

Wentz's final touchdown was another short throw to Pascal that ultimately had no bearing on the outcome of the game.

"The way we came out with the ball, that was encouraging," Wentz said. "The players finished offensively there getting that touchdown late and it was definitely encouraging, something we can build off of.

"But really outside of those two drives we've got to do better. And there's stuff we can learn from, but I think we can take those two drives and see what we can do and what we are made of and build from there."

Seattle's pressure virtually eliminated any long-developing routes and vertical shots downfield. When Wentz had time, he seemed to find his rhythm and show flashes of the player who played at an MVP level in 2017.

Wentz's best throw came off play-action in the second quarter on the Colts' scoring drive. He faked a handoff to Taylor, turned, planted his feet and threw a strike to Parris Campbell on a deep crossing route, dropping the ball just in front of Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs.

Wentz finished the drive 5-for-5 for 64 yards. The former Eagles star went 8-of-11 for 81 yards in the first half.

Colts running backs Taylor and Nyheim Hines combined for 12 catches and 108 yards. The duo finished with seven and eight targets, respectively. Pascal's five targets led all wide receivers. Hines spent time lined out wide, showing his versatility as a playmaker. Other than Hines and Campbell, Indy's pass catchers struggled to separate from Seattle's coverage.

Went'z 6.6 yards per completion is sub-par but he'll need more time to avoid relying on dump off to his running backs.

"One of the biggest things is to keep the quarterback safe," Colts center Ryan Kelly said. "We gave up way too many hits, that's not our standard of play. So this is a good realization of where we are and where we have to go.

"Like (Jim) Irsay said just couple minutes ago, it's a marathon not a sprint but obviously we've got some work to do."

Despite the high number of hits taken, Wentz said he felt fine after the game. He showed no signs of limping to the podium and had no additional protective gear on his foot. His activity during practice this week will be the truest barometer of his surgically-repaired foot.

Wentz's health after a tough Week 1 aside, 10 hits is a lot for any quarterback to endure. Reich refused to point blame at his offensive line, but he's encouraged by what his quarterback showed without a clean pocket for most of the game.

"I thought there was a lot of good," Reich said. "I thought he seemed comfortable, the operation seemed fine. ... Wasn't a perfect game, obviously there's some mistakes but we all make mistakes every one of us. So we've got to get that right."