Commanders’ Wentz faces Eagles for 1st time as Hurts thrives

— Jalen Hurts is in a far different place as an NFL quarterback since a rocky rookie year in 2020 when he usurped Carson Wentz as Philadelphia’s starter. Still, when they face off Sunday for the first time with Philadelphia looking to stay unbeaten and the Commanders still trying to get a foothold with their new QB, it’ll be a measurement of how far they’ve come and another barometer for the Eagles’ choice of Hurts over Wentz. “Maybe to the outside world, it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ I don’t think that surprises any of us in the building because we live with him every day, we see him every day and we see the growth every day.” Wentz is still growing in his seventh season, especially considering he’s on his third team in as many years and has had to handle going from getting picked second in the draft in 2016 to criticized and jostled around the league. While saying he doesn’t “put a lot of stock into” facing Hurts and the Eagles with new faces and a new coaching staff, facing Philadelphia for the first time is an opportune time for the 29-year-old to take stock of how he got here. I try and climb every day, I learn from my mistakes and just keep pushing forward.” Hurts in 2022 is such a dual threat Washington coach Ron Rivera quipped, “Every time he has the ball in his hands, it’s a run-pass option.” He stressed discipline among defenders as the way to contain him.