There’s an argument that Carson Wentz is trending up, but is it valid?

Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Carson Wentz, has been under a lot of scrutiny lately but some argue to have patience.

Following the ending of the Indianapolis Colts season, quarterback Carson Wentz was public enemy No. 1. While a number of people were at fault for Indy missing the postseason, Wentz received the majority of the blame.

From fans to media to former Colts players, many criticized the performance of Wentz over the last two weeks of the season. They felt he proved to be a quarterback that can’t come through in the clutch and Indianapolis should move on.

While most were piling on Wentz, some preached a message of patience. Among media members, Fox Sports analysts, Emmanuel Acho, led the charge for this belief.

Emmanuel Acho urges Colts to commit to Carson Wentz

Acho argues, despite Wentz’s underwhelming play in his final two outings, his overall performance this year was far better than his final season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He believes that is a sign of growth and a reason for Indianapolis to give Wentz at least one more season as the starting quarterback.

On the surface, that makes sense. Wentz’s final year in Philly was a disaster and that’s why the Eagles were comfortable trading him away.

With the Colts, Wentz threw 11 more touchdowns than he did in 2020 with Philadelphia, eight fewer interceptions, a five-percentage improvement in completion percentage, and had six more quarterback wins.

Though, quarterback wins aren’t even a real thing considering the team dynamic. But, the point Acho is making is that Wentz was clearly better than he was in 2020 and that’s true.

However, the story is deeper than that. You have to look at more than just Wentz’s last two seasons to accurately map his growth.

Wentz’s 2019 season was nearly identical to his stats this year with the Colts. He played one less game in 2019, but in both seasons he passed for 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 1.5% difference in completion percentage.

The Eagles were also 9-7 that year.

Going back one year before that, when Wentz only played 11 games in 2018, he passed for 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Also, Philly was 5-6 in his starts.

Carson Wentz is who he has always been

Once you really analyze every season for Wentz since he returned from his knee injury, 2020 is just an abysmal anomaly. It was the rock bottom of Wentz and Philly’s relationship. Things weren’t going to work between the two parties and that manifested in Wentz’s play.

So 2021 wasn’t necessarily an example of Wentz trending up it was more so just him getting back to himself. It’s unlikely that with another season he’ll make some significant stride because he’s shown who he is.

Whether or not that is the quarterback that Indianapolis is comfortable with is yet to be decided, but there’s not much left to unlock. This is who Carson Wentz is.

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The Indianapolis Colts will have a big decision to make this offseason about Carson Wentz and his future with the franchise.