Carson Wentz

The Eagles (3-7-1) crashed to their seventh loss in 2020, beaten 23-17 by the high-flying Seattle Seahawks on Monday.

Philadelphia have suffered three consecutive defeats as pressure mounts on beleaguered quarterback Carson Wentz and Pederson, who guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl in 2017, and he was asked about his future.

"I haven't been reassured one way or another," Pederson told reporters on Tuesday.

"Listen, I've been around this league a long time, 25 years, I believe, as a player and a coach, and we're always based on and evaluated on our performance.

"Right now, that's obviously not my concern, as far as that decision goes. That's out of my hands. But what's in my hands and in my control is getting the team prepared and ready for Green Bay this weekend.

"So, I'm not going there mentally. I'm looking forward to playing again this week, getting back on the grass [Wednesday] with the players, and getting ready for Green Bay."

Pressed on Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Pederson said: "Our relationship is good. We communicate a lot throughout the week. We have our typical weekly meeting and cover a lot of ground.

"But that relationship is good. Listen, some of these questions might be for Mr. Lurie obviously, but my job is to prepare the team and get ready for Green Bay."

Eagles quarterback Wentz has come under fire this season and question marks over his long-term future in Philadelphia continue to make headlines.

Wentz was 25 of 45 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while he rushed for 42 yards on five carries against the Seahawks.

The Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowler was sacked six times by the Seahawks, taking that tally to an NFL-high 46 this season, while he also has a league-high 15 interceptions to go with his 16 TD passes.

Philadelphia's first five drives against Seattle equated to minus-one total yards, zero points and zero total downs, but their final drive prior to half-time resulted in 75 total yards, six points and seven first downs.

"I'm not going to sit here and throw people under the bus. We can do that during the week of preparation and practice," Pederson added. "Guys just have to understand the sense of urgency that it takes to play a game and to prepare not only coaching, but also players.

"It's a long season. The season is a grind. It's a tough sport mentally and physically, and probably more so mentally than anything else. And it's frustrating because we do prep and practice and study and meet all week long, and coaches spend countless hours putting game plans together and trying to somehow come up with a plan that can beat your opponent.

"And then, whether it's execution or sometimes physically, you just get beat. It's a frustrating thing. It's something that we have got to – again, if it goes back to simplifying game plans, we can keep simplifying as much as we can.

"We've got a lot of moving parts, a lot of moving pieces, particularly in the offensive line. I alluded to that a little bit this morning [on SportsRadio 94WIP], that continuity and stability. That's also been an issue with us. Some young players on the perimeter, new targets that Carson is throwing to. So, we're definitely not where we want to be, that's for sure. We're going to continue to work to improve."

The Eagles are third in an underwhelming NFC East, which is topped by the 4-7 New York Giants.

The Eagles are still without a victory after they were held 23-23 by the Bengals and rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, with both teams seemingly happy to settle for that result at the end of an uninspiring overtime period.

Philadelphia have gone 0-2-1 in the opening three games having suffered defeats to the Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams.

There are clear holes on both sides of the ball for the Eagles but it is Wentz who has received the brunt of the criticism for their disappointing start.

The second overall pick in the 2016 draft, Wentz has completed only 59.8 per cent of his passes and has thrown just three touchdowns compared to six interceptions, with the Bengals picking him off twice on Sunday.

So far this season, Wentz is averaging 4.59 net yards per pass attempt, his worst performance in that category since his rookie year (5.58).

The Eagles stoked talk of a potential changing of the guard at quarterback during this year's draft when they stunningly selected Jalen Hurts in the second round.

However, Pederson rejected any possibility of Hurts coming in for Wentz.

Asked what it would take to consider changing quarterbacks, Pederson said: "No. No, you don't go there. That's a knee-jerk reaction.

"That's a reaction to things that sometimes are … the aura that's out there, right? That's not what we believe internally. And we're going to continue to get better.

"Carson's our quarterback. We're going to get it fixed, he's going to get it fixed. We got a long … listen, we're only a half game out of first place for goodness sakes. The whole division isn't playing very good football. We're not that far off."

Wentz was considered a frontrunner for the MVP award in the 2017 season, when he went 11-2 as a starter and led the league in touchdown percentage (7.5), throwing 33 scores and just seven interceptions.

However, a torn ACL meant he had to watch from the sidelines as backup Nick Foles improbably led the Eagles to glory with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

He endured an up and down season in 2018 and a back injury meant he was again sidelined for the playoffs, in which Foles guided the Eagles to a Wild Card round win over the Chicago Bears. Wentz played just nine snaps of last season's Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks before suffering a concussion.

Despite their struggles, the Eagles are in striking distance of the NFC East division lead. Both Washington and the Dallas Cowboys have started 1-2 while the New York Giants are 0-3.

The Eagles will attempt to claim their first win of the season when they visit the 2-1 San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.

Hurts replaced embattled starter Wentz in the third quarter of Sunday's 30-16 defeat to the Packers and he almost triggered a comeback.

A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Hurts finished five of 12 for 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing five times for 29 yards.

Wentz – who signed a lucrative four-year, $128million contract extension in 2019 – was benched having gone six-of-15 passing for 79 yards and four sacks as the beleaguered Eagles fell to 3-8-1.

"We needed a spark in this game to try to get some things going," under-fire coach Pederson told reporters post-game.

"I've got to get through injuries, I've got to get through the tape, there's a lot of things that I'm going to consider and evaluate before anything is decided."

Nick Foles stepped up in the absence of injured star Wentz and guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title during the 2017 season, before leading Philadelphia back into the playoffs the following campaign.

But Wentz has struggled since Foles departed at the end of 2018 – he entered Week 12 ranked first in interceptions (15) and sacks (46).

Wentz is also 31st among the 32 quarterbacks for completion percentage (58.1 per cent) and 30th in yards per attempt (6.02).

"I didn't know what the plan was fully. I was just told he was going in for the next play and the next series," Wentz said.

"So I didn't really know what was going on there. Obviously, that's frustrating as a competitor and just the personality that I have, I want to be the guy out there. But it is what it is.

"They made the call today. At the end of the day we lost, as a team we lost, and that's what I think for me I'm most frustrated about. I don't like where we're at this season record wise and I know I can play better and we can all be better going forward."

Hurts added: "Any experience and any opportunity to touch the field, it only kind of raises the value of that player. It's kind of has been that way all year, and today Coach gave me that opportunity.

"With all my heart, I had every intention of coming in and getting it done and winning the game, but we came up short, and that only lights a fire in everybody moving forward."

Sirianni was introduced as Philadelphia's new coach to replace Doug Pederson on Friday and attention has already shifted to embattled Eagles QB Wentz.

Wentz – who signed a lucrative four-year, $128million contract extension in 2019 – was benched in favour of rookie Jalen Hurts in Week 13, raising serious questions over his future in Philadelphia.

The 28-year-old Wentz ranked 23rd for completions (251), 34th for passing percentage (57.4), 25th for yards (2,620) and tied for 20th for touchdowns (16), while he was equal first for interceptions thrown this past season.

"I can't answer that," Sirianni said during his introductory news conference after being asked if Wentz would be back in 2021.

"Again, evaluating everything. Again, there's a lot of things to go through. Evaluating everything."

"You look at a lot of rosters and they don't have any quarterbacks, right, that they feel really good about. We have two. That's unbelievable to have two quarterbacks who have played and that have played well," he added.

"I couldn't have watched more tape on Carson Wentz in 2018. When Frank and I got back together, when we were installing our offense with the Indianapolis Colts, we watched a lot of Chargers tape, and we watched a lot of Philadelphia Eagles tape from 2017.

"Man, what an impressive player. He's got so much talent, and from what I've heard from everybody, great person. Good talent, good person, it takes your game to really high levels. So excited.

"Jalen got his snaps last year and was able to play last year and he played good football in meaningful games. Not a lot of people have that luxury of having two quarterbacks that have experience, so super excited to be able to work with them because, obviously, we all know how important that position is to a football team."

The Eagles have turned to rookie head coach Sirianni after NFL Super Bowl-winning boss Pederson was fired following a tumultuous 2020 campaign.

Sirianni spent the past three seasons working for the Indianapolis Colts – the 39-year-old former offensive coordinator also previously spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in various roles.

After moving to Indianapolis in 2018, Sirianni and the Colts twice reached the playoffs – beaten by the Buffalo Bills in this season's Wild Card clash.

But Sirianni will step into his first head-coaching job, tasked with restoring a struggling franchise, who ended the season 4-11-1 having won their first Super Bowl in 2017.

The Eagles sacked Super Bowl-winning head coach Pederson on Monday following a tumultuous 2020 NFL campaign.

Pederson, who was appointed in 2016, led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in his second season at the helm but Philadelphia struggled this term after a 4-11-1 finish.

Wentz's form resulted in the franchise quarterback – who signed a lucrative four-year, $128million contract extension in 2019 – being benched in favour of rookie Jalen Hurts in Week 13, while it raised serious questions over his future in Philadelphia.

While doubts remain over Wentz, Lurie insisted the 28-year-old was not behind Pederson's exit.

"My first allegiance is, what will be best for the Philadelphia Eagles and our fans for the next three, four, five years. It's not based on does someone deserve to hold their job or deserve to get fired; that's a different bar," Lurie told reporters on Monday.

"It's not about, 'Did Doug deserve to be let go?' No, he did not deserve to be let go. That's not where I'm coming from, and that's not the bar in the evaluation process."

"I don't think any owner should decide that [whether Wentz returns in 2021]. Carson, to me and to I think virtually everyone in our organisation, is a quarterback that in his first four years was in many ways elite, comparable to some of the great quarterbacks the first four years in the league," Lurie added on Wentz. "The fifth year, obviously not satisfactory for whatever reasons, there are probably multiple reasons for that.

"I think the way I look at it is, we have an asset and we have a talent. He's a great guy. He wants nothing but to win big and win Lombardi trophies for Philadelphia. This guy is tireless. He has his heart in the right place. He is really dedicated offseason, on-season. He's just what you want. And it behoves us as a team with a new coach and new coaching staff to be able to really get him back to that elite progression where he was capable of, and understand at the same time that there have been many quarterbacks in their fourth and fifth year, if you trace this, you can come up with many, many quarterbacks that have a single year where it's just, 'Whoa, the touchdown-to-interception ratio is not what you want.' And we're talking some great ones like Peyton [Manning] and Ben [Roethlisberger] and guys like that."

Wentz ranked 23rd for completions (251), 34th for passing percentage (57.4), 25th for yards (2,620) and tied for 20th for touchdowns (16), while he was equal first for interceptions thrown in 2020.

"So I take more of a longer view of this was not the best season for our offense," Lurie continued. "It was a poor season. And we also had a poor season from Carson, in terms of what he's been able to show in the past; very fixable, and I fully expect him to realise his potential."

Pederson compiled an overall 46-39-1 record over five seasons with the Eagles, including four playoff victories.

The 52-year-old, who oversaw three consecutive postseason appearances from 2017 to 2019 before dropping to the bottom of the NFC East this year, had not won 10-plus games since Philadelphia's run to Super Bowl LII.

"It has been an absolute honour serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. As difficult as it is to say goodbye, I will always look back on my time here with appreciation and respect," Pederson said.

"Thank you to Jeffrey Lurie for the opportunity, and to Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski for their partnership and support over the last five seasons. To all of our coaches, players, and staff, thank you for believing in me and allowing me to lead us on this journey. The memories we made here, together, will always have a special place in my heart.

"To the City of Philadelphia, thank you for embracing me and this team. I truly appreciate that passion you bring every single day – at home, on the road, and in the community. No matter what, you were always right there with us.

"Although I am disappointed that this chapter of my career has come to an end, I am extremely proud of what we accomplished together. Through all the ups and downs, one thing remained constant about our team – an unwavering commitment to battle through adversity and to achieve our goals not as individuals, but as a collective unit. There is no better example of that than when we celebrated the first Super Bowl Championship in Eagles history together with our city. That is a memory we will all cherish forever."

Wentz, 27, left the field and was questionable to return after taking a blow to the back of his helmet from Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in the first quarter of Sunday's NFL playoff game.

Veteran back-up Josh McCown replaced Wentz under center before the latter was officially ruled out by the Eagles after half-time in Philadelphia.

Wentz sat out Philadelphia's playoff run in 2017, his second season in the league, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the regular season.

In his absence, Nick Foles steered the franchise to their first Super Bowl triumph, as they beat the New England Patriots 41-33 in Minnesota.

Prior to the postseason showdown against the Seahawks, Wentz completed 388 passes for 4,039 yards and 27 touchdowns in 16 appearances.

The Eagles triumphed 23-9 against the slumping Cowboys in the NFC East, but it was a far from impressive outing from Doug Pederson's team, with quarterback Wentz enduring a particularly tough time.

Wentz was 15 of 27 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Eagles improved to 3-4-1, while the Cowboys fell to 2-6.

The game saw the Eagles become the first NFL team to have under 250 total yards, turn the ball over four or more times, get sacked four or more times and yet still win the game by 14-plus points since the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 14-0 in the 1982 AFC Championship Game.

It left both Wentz and coach Pederson conceding there is much room for improvement.

"There are too many turnovers, I've got to be better," said Wentz, whose side nonetheless still extended their lead at the top of the NFC East.

"I can be better and put the ball in the right spot, but I am not going to change my aggressive mentality.

"We're going to start connecting on some of those big plays and obviously it hurt a little bit today, but the defense played great and we got the win.

"I [was] not good enough, I am pumped we got the win but I am going to have to watch the tape and I'm a little frustrated on how I played and how we left some plays out there, missed some big opportunities and I can be better.

"I know I can play better and a lot of it is coming down to taking care of the football. I feel I am still the same aggressive guy that's going to pull the trigger and I never want to change that, but just being smart and putting it in the right spot."

Pederson, whose side now have a bye week before returning to action against the New York Giants on November 15, said: "We can't do the things we are doing in order to survive in this league.

"We've got to get better and fix it in a hurry."

The selection, however, did not catch Wentz off guard.  

Wentz said the Eagles called him before the draft to let him know they might pick a quarterback, and he was under the impression the organisation was not out to replace him. 

"It didn't really concern me," Wentz said on a conference call on Monday. "My reaction was, kind of understood. I had a feeling there was a chance we'd want to draft somebody given the way our roster is laid out and wanting to get younger.

"There was no concern for me. I think the team showed their investment in me last year and I've nothing but confidence and faith in them and they have nothing but confidence and faith in me. So I think it's all about strengthening that position and this group that we have.” 

Wentz, who signed a $128million extension less than a year ago, passed for a career-best 4,039 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while playing all 16 regular-season games in 2019 before suffering a concussion in Philadelphia's Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks. This came after both his 2017 and 2018 seasons were famously derailed by injuries. 

Despite his injury history, Wentz did not view the addition of Hurts as someone who will take his job. 

"With Jalen, I'm excited to add him to the team," Wentz said. "I know how important the quarterback position is, and how important the dynamic is for me and the other guys in that room.

"I've been blessed over the years to have some incredible not just quarterbacks, but incredible humans and friends in that quarterback room. We really endure a lot together and go through [a lot] together. So I'm excited. 

"I've heard nothing but good things about Jalen and the kid he is and the player he is."

Hurts also provides a different skill set at the position than Wentz as a dual-threat QB. 

After leading Alabama to back-to-back National Championship games as a freshman and sophomore before being benched for Tua Tagovailoa, Hurts then guided Oklahoma to a Big 12 title this past season as a senior while garnering third-team AP All-American honors.

He finished his four-year collegiate career with 9,477 passing yards with 80 touchdowns and another 3,274 rushing yards and 43 TD runs. 

Hurts' athletic ability potentially opens up Philadelphia's playbook and gives the team an opportunity to possibly line Hurts up on the outside or in the backfield along with Wentz. 

"We'll see how that all plays out," added Wentz. "We haven't gotten too deep into the playbook and how things are going to look. But for me, whatever's going to help us win.

"I came to Philly ever since being drafted and all I wanted to do was win and stand up there and hold up that Lombardi Trophy. Whatever that takes and whatever that's going to look like, I'm on board."

Hurts – making his first start in place of embattled quarterback Carson Wentz – fuelled the struggling Eagles to a 24-21 upset of the New Orleans Saints in the NFL on Sunday.

The 22-year-old went 17-of-30 passing for 167 yards and a touchdown, while he ran for 106 yards on 18 carries as Wentz watched from the sidelines in Philadelphia.

His performance helped the Eagles snap a four-game losing streak, while the Saints had their nine-game winning run ended in surprise fashion.

While head coach Pederson refused to commit to starting Hurts post-game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, he confirmed his decision on Monday.

"After going through the film and really looking back even to last week and the preparation and everything, I'm going to continue with Jalen this week as the starter," Pederson said.

"There were there were a lot of positives coming out of the football game. I just didn't want to say, 'hey, it was all about one guy', because you guys know me and my answers... have always been about the team, and really that was a team win yesterday."

Pederson added: "There's no issue with Carson and I. I look at maybe what I do or how I call a game, maybe I can approach it a little bit differently moving forward that way.

"But that's something that I haven't — listen, teams have a lot of film on your starter. They have ways to prepare for your starter. They can take away certain things, and we've got to be able to compensate for that. But there's been no issue between us."

Hurts joined Lamar Jackson as the only players since at least 1950 to have 100-plus rushing yards in their first career start at quarterback, per NFL Research.

Selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Hurts became the second quarterback in history to beat a team on a nine-game regular-season winning streak in his first career start, according to Stats Perform. The other was Ron Jaworski in 1975.

The Eagles (4-8-1) are third in the NFC East, behind the Washington Football Team (6-7) as they prepare to face the Cardinals (7-6) in Arizona on Sunday.

Hurts was the only quarterback selected on the second day of the NFL Draft and his destination raised eyebrows as the Eagles picked the Oklahoma quarterback 53rd overall.

Philadelphia only gave starter Wentz a new four-year contract in 2019 and last year - his fourth in the NFL - he became the first Eagles quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season as he led Pederson's side to the playoffs.

Dual-threat quarterback Hurts, who began his college career at Alabama, had a fine senior season with Oklahoma and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Joe Burrow, the man who went first overall in the 2020 draft.

However, rather than seeing Hurts as someone to dislodge Wentz, Pederson thinks the two can work together in the same offense, in the manner Drew Brees and Hill do for the New Orleans Saints.

"He has a unique skill set," Pederson told reporters of Hurts.

"You see what Taysom Hill has done in New Orleans and how he and Drew Brees have a connection there and a bond there.

"And you look at [Joe] Flacco and Lamar [Jackson] in Baltimore for the short period of time, how they gelled together. It's just something we're going to explore."

The Eagles kept faith with Wentz in 2018 when he returned from a knee injury despite seeing Nick Foles lead them to victory at Super Bowl LII.

Foles left to sign for the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to last season and Wentz was the undisputed starter for 2019, and general manager Howie Roseman insisted the arrival of Hurts has not changed that.

"Nobody is going to be looking at a rookie quarterback as somebody who's going to be taking over [for] a Pro Bowl quarterback, a guy who's been on the cusp of winning an MVP," he said.

"We've shown how we feel about Carson by our actions, we showed it by the amount of picks we put into him and we showed it by the contract extension and we believe this is a guy to lead us to our next Super Bowl Championship.

"But, for better or worse, we are quarterback developers. We want to be a quarterback factory and we have the right people in place to do that and no team in the National Football League has benefited more from developing quarterbacks than the Philadelphia Eagles. This is who we are."

There has been no shortage of churn in the Indianapolis Colts QB room since Reich became head coach in 2018.

Andrew Luck retired before the start of Reich's second season, having won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, Jacoby Brissett stepping into the breach only to miss out on the playoffs. That prompted a move for Philip Rivers, who worked with Reich when the pair were together at the Chargers.

But Rivers also retired after leading the Colts to an 11-5 record in 2020.

Having coaxed a relatively impressive final year out of Rivers, Reich backed himself to get a former star firing again. Indy will have Carson Wentz starting under center this year.

Wentz's performance level has badly tailed off in recent seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles, but his impressive early-career displays came when Reich was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017.

He will now head to the Colts confident he can rediscover his best form and help a team that competed last season even without significant star power, as Stats Perform data shows.

Offense

Wentz has never been better than he was under Reich.

Boosted by the experience of starting from the outset in his rookie season, Wentz was flying by the time year two rolled around. He threw 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for a passer rating of 101.9 in 2017, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition, but a devastating knee injury kept him from playing a part in the Eagles' Super Bowl success, which came via an improbable run with backup Nick Foles.

There has been a steady decline since Reich departed following that triumph, though, and Wentz led the league in picks (15) and sacks (50) in 2020 despite playing just 12 games.

While the Colts will hope Wentz improves, they do not need the former second overall pick to be an elite QB to maintain last season's standard.

The Colts were unspectacular but comfortably in the top half of the NFL for yards per play (5.86, ranked ninth), yards per game (378.1, 10th) and net passing yards (253.3, 11th) last time out.

The Colts had the second-fewest sacks for negative yardage (19), losing only 133 yards, as the Eagles ranked worst in both regards (61 for 401 yards). Wentz will hope to prove he can perform much better when helped by a superior offensive line.

Rivers was asked only to be solid, though, as Reich preferred a run-heavy approach. Indianapolis kept 44.5 per cent of their plays on the ground last season, compared to Philadelphia's 37.8 per cent.

Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor – with 232 carries (ranking eighth) for 1,169 yards (third) and 11 rushing TDs (joint-seventh) – was relied on consistently in high-leverage situations. Malcolm Brown (28) and Dalvin Cook (27) were the only RBs in the NFL trusted more often on third down (24 carries).

Even the passing offense found a running back – in this case, Nyheim Hines (63 catches) – more often than any other individual receiver.

Defense

Where the 2020 recruitment of Rivers was a low-risk call that ultimately paid off, tiding the team over until the move for Wentz, the Colts went all-in on their big defensive signing.

Happily, that deal has so far been an even greater success.

DeForest Buckner signed a four-year, $84million contract after his trade from San Francisco, where he had been a second-team All-Pro selection and starred in the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl in 2019.

Those standards did not slip in Indianapolis as the defensive tackle led the Colts in sacks (9.5), QB hits (26) and tackles for loss (10).

Buckner's reward was a first-team All-Pro selection for the first time and he was joined in that regard by linebacker Darius Leonard (86 tackles), who is still on his rookie contract. The pair contributed to the Colts allowing the eighth-fewest total yards per game (332.1) and the second-fewest rushing yards (90.5), beaten only by champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the latter category.

They should be set to excel defending on the ground again this coming season, but the Colts might be a little more vulnerable through the air, even with Buckner's all-round talents.

Denico Autry, Justin Houston and Al-Quadin Muhammad - their leading three edge rushers, who combined for 17.5 sacks and 22 QB hits – all entered free agency, Autry signing with division rivals the Tennessee Titans.

Offseason

Free agency has been quiet thus far for Indianapolis, but for good reason.

While the Colts have more than $38m of cap space remaining, the team appear to be wisely saving money to pay Leonard, who will otherwise be an unrestricted free agent in 2022.

On the offensive line, Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith are also due a pay day.

The Colts have already looked after two of their own by bringing back cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who defensed 12 passes on his way to two interceptions and a defensive touchdown, and Marlon Mack, the running back who had eight TDs in 2019 but played only once last year before rupturing his Achilles.

If spending remains as modest as suggested, the Colts will have some gaps heading towards a draft where their first-round pick is at 21.

The potential free agency departures of wideout T.Y. Hilton and tight end Trey Burton mean Wentz's receiving corps needs reinforcements, although the second-round tender placed on Mo Alie-Cox helped in that department.

It remains to be seen what the team will do to replace their edge rushers in the wake of Autry's $21.5m deal in Tennessee.

Should the Colts fail to address that issue and leave the onus predominantly on Buckner to pressure opposing quarterbacks, Indianapolis might be back where they started and it will be down to Wentz to ensure they are competitive again.

Indianapolis needed only to beat a two-win Jaguars team to secure their place in the postseason but were humbled, allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch a playoffs spot.

Quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked six times in a game the Jaguars led the entire way, with the Colts having not won in Jacksonville since 2014.

The Colts finished the season with back-to-back defeats to slip to a 9-8 record and second in the AFC South behind the Conference-leading Tennessee Titans.

"It was hard to imagine after the Arizona game, we get to 9-6, we feel like we’re one of the two or three teams to beat, a team everybody’s talking about," Reich told reporters on Monday.

"When you think about how all this was going to end, certainly, no one including myself, really, ever thought it would end like it did the last two weeks.

"That’s something that can’t be undone. It’s part of our record. It’s part of my record. … It’s a scar."

Reich revealed that he met with team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard for several hours after the Jaguars defeat.

“It was a good conversation, a supporting conversation, but also demanding and wanting answers, [with Irsay] wanting to hold us accountable,” Reich said.

He added: "‘We’re going to get better.' … We walked out of there saying, ‘We’ve got a lot of the right pieces in place.'"

Rookie Hurts replaced the struggling Wentz in the third quarter of the Eagles' 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers last week, their fourth consecutive reverse.

According to widespread reports, the second-round pick out of Oklahoma will take the starting job for the home game with the Saints.

Wentz, who signed a lucrative four-year, $128million contract extension in 2019, has come under increasing pressure with the Eagles.

The team who won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season have fallen to 3-8-1 in a miserable campaign.

Coach Doug Pederson, who has been the subject of job speculation, would not commit to naming a starter either way in the immediate aftermath of the Packers game, but has now done so.

Wentz has been unable to repeat the MVP-calibre form he showed in 2017 before injury ruled him out of their famous postseason run led by backup QB Nick Foles.

This year he has 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions – already a career-high - through 12 games.

He has career-lows in passer rating (72.8) and completion percentage (57.4), having been sacked an NFL-high 50 times in 2020.

Hurts completed five of his 12 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Packers while rushing five times for 29 yards.

He showed impressive touch to deliver a beautiful TD pass to Greg Ward while rolling to his right on fourth-and-18 that likely helped Pederson to rule in his favour.

Hurts will not have an easy first start. The Saints are 10-2 and on pace to be the number one seed in the NFC.

Their defense is best in the league for yards allowed per game (288.8) and fourth in points per game (20.1).

Wentz was hurt while running the ball during the first quarter of Sunday's NFL playoff game, having taken a blow to the back of his helmet from Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

McCown came in for Philadelphia's next possession, with the Eagles announcing on Twitter that Wentz – making his postseason debut – was being evaluated, listing him as "questionable to return".

The 40-year-old back-up is with his ninth team in an NFL career that started back in 2002. He had announced his retirement after spending the previous two seasons with the New York Jets, only to be tempted back by the Eagles.

Wentz sat out Philadelphia's playoff run in 2017, his second season in the league, after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the regular season.

In his absence, Nick Foles steered the franchise to their first Super Bowl triumph, as they beat the New England Patriots 41-33 in Minnesota.

Having won his seventh ring in his first season with the Bucs playing in front of at best sparsely populated crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic, Brady and Tampa Bay claimed a 31-29 victory in front of a packed house at Raymond James Stadium.

While the return of fans and full stadiums will give this season a different look, once more it is the Bucs and the Kansas City Chiefs who go into the year as the teams to beat.

However, there are a host of other high-profile teams who could be set to improve on their 2020 win-loss records, as well as those who could be poised to decline from postseason contention.

With the help of Stats Perform data, here are some of the more intriguing teams to keep eye on as the NFL makes its much anticipated return.

With Dak back, Cowboys hope to contend

A gruesome ankle injury suffered by Dak Prescott in Week 5 ended Dallas' hopes of challenging last season.

As it turned out, further injuries on the offensive line and a miserable defense would have made it tough for the Cowboys to contend even if Prescott had been on the field to lead the offense, as their wait for a first Super Bowl since 1995 goes on.

But Prescott is back with the security of a lucrative new contract as Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup remain part of an explosive supporting cast and he delivered a compelling reminder of his upside in defeat to Tampa Bay, throwing for 403 yards, three touchdowns and an interception off the hands of Lamb.

Prescott has averaged 8.26 yards per attempt over the last two seasons, third best among NFL QBs, and there are huge hopes for the offense, particularly if the highly rated Lamb (74 catches for 935 yards in 2020) can kick on from a fine rookie season. Despite Lamb's drop leading to a turnover, the early signs were good as he caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, helping Prescott average 6.95 yards per attempt and post a 101.4 passer rating.

If new Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn can get the defense – which allowed 158.8 rushing yards per game last season (31st in the NFL) but just 52 against the Bucs - somewhere towards the middle of the pack, the Cowboys should soar well clear of their 6-10 mark from 2020 and will be justified favourites to win the NFC East.

Pats look to pressure Bills in AFC East

The Bills and Josh Allen were so good last season that they may decline from their 13-3 mark even without doing too much wrong.

Allen made an astonishing leap from year two to three – posting career highs in passing yards (3,089 to 4,544), passing touchdowns (20 to 37) and completion percentage (58.8 to 69.2), plus eight rushing scores - and was rewarded with a huge offseason contract extension.

Allen's numbers and rate of improvement are hard to sustain, and even a marginal decline could lead to a worse record in a competitive division.

Stefon Diggs was incredible with league-leading figures of 127 catches and 1,535 receiving yards, while Cole Beasley (82 catches for 967 yards) was a crucial complementary piece.

Allen and Diggs played all 16 games last season while Beasley only missed one, so there was good fortune on the health front, while the Bills were able to win close games last season – boasting a 5-1 record in one-score contests – a metric that often reverts to the mean.

Their divisional rivals, meanwhile, look threatening. The New England Patriots have spent big in free agency to revamp the supporting cast for rookie QB Mac Jones.

New England's tight end situation has been among the league's worst since the departure of Rob Gronkowski, but they doubled down at the position to land Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.

Henry ranks sixth among tight ends with 1,265 yards since the start of the 2019 season, while only five TEs have more than the 11 TDs grabbed by the athletic Smith over that period.

Wide receiver Nelson Agholor arrived after a career year (896 yards) for the Las Vegas Raiders as the pass-catching options were significantly boosted.

A down year for the Patriots – in which their offensive weapons looked woeful and several defensive players opted out - still produced a not disastrous 7-9 record, with four of those losses coming by eight points or fewer.

The Miami Dolphins (3-4 in one score games) are another ascending team in the division after going 10-6 and allowing only 21.1 points per game (ried-fifth in the NFL).

Even the New York Jets, buoyed after selecting BYU QB Zach Wilson at number two overall, look poised to be more competitive than their 2-14 misery a season ago.

From worst to (somewhere nearer) first?

Trevor Lawrence has been billed as a generational talent at QB and there were few questions he would be selected at number one overall in the draft.

With Lawrence being paired with college coaching great Urban Meyer and an intriguing array of pass-catchers including Laviska Shenault (691 scrimmage yards, five TDs last year) and D. J. Chark (1,714 receiving yards since 2019), the Jags could be set for rapid improvement.

Even in their awful season that led to the chance to select Lawrence at the top of the draft, the Jags were 1-6 in one score games and slightly better than their 1-15 record suggested.

By the same metric, divisional rivals the Indianapolis Colts (5-2) and the Tennessee Titans (7-2) claimed many of their victories in close games.

With the Colts negotiating some uncertainty at QB as they look to revive the career of Carson Wentz – who is dealing with a foot injury – and the Houston Texans in disarray and full rebuild mode, the Jags could emerge as surprise challengers to the Titans.

Other teams who could rise and fall

Other teams who look likely to ascend include the San Francisco 49ers (6-10), who were ravaged with injuries last season and now have two viable options at QB with Jimmy Garoppolo and exciting draft pick Trey Lance. Five of their losses last season came by one score or less despite a depleted roster. 

The Denver Broncos (5-11)  have a stacked roster with their only concerns coming at the QB position, where they hope Teddy Bridgewater can provide more stability than the volatile Drew Lock (16 TDs and 15 INTs in 2020), despite coming off a poor season with the Carolina Panthers, who opted to replace him with Sam Darnold.

The New Orleans Saints (12-4) could be trending in the opposite direction, though. While Drew Brees was not at his peak in his final NFL season, a combination of Jameis Wilson and Taysom Hill must now try to replace the future Hall of Famer while keeping pace with the formidable Bucs and an Atlanta Falcons team that has added dynamic tight end Kyle Pitts.

New Orleans' offseason was defined by a roster overhaul enforced by the Saints' salary cap woe, leaving them with a wide receiver depth chart that looks alarming with Michael Thomas (missed nine games in 2020) starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Many players will get second chances if the coming year does not go as planned, but some will not.

In a league where there are only 32 starting berths for quarterbacks and a further 32 openings for head coaches, the competition is brutal.

Coming off testing campaigns, Stats Perform picks out the QBs and coaches who cannot afford another slip-up in a make-or-break 2021.

Sam Darnold

New Carolina Panthers QB Darnold is still just 24, but so poor were the former third overall pick's performances across three years in New York that the Jets moved him on to take Zach Wilson with the second selection in 2021.

In Darnold's third and final miserable season with the Jets, he threw just nine touchdowns to 11 interceptions – numbers that could have been even worse as he threw 22 pickable passes, his pickable pass percentage of 6.51 the fifth-worst among QBs with 100 or more attempts.

Only the run-heavy Baltimore Ravens averaged fewer net passing yards than the Jets last year (174.8 per game), a metric in which the Panthers ranked a mediocre 18th led by Teddy Bridgewater.

If Darnold cannot even reach those standards, his career as a leading man could be over already. Of course, Carolina start against Wilson and the Jets.

Daniel Jones

Playing in the same city as Darnold, Jones might have got off a little lightly. He is after all eight days older than Darnold, albeit he came into the league a year later.

There were signs of promise for the New York Giants in 2019, but Jones has not progressed as hoped. The clock is ticking, with opportunities elsewhere likely to be scarce given he was a surprise pick at number six two years ago.

Sacked 45 times in 2020, Jones might argue he has lacked protection from a poor Giants offensive line.

Sadly, the QB has looked best running for his life, averaging a league-leading 9.70 yards when the designated ball-carrier – and a slightly above average 4.62 when scrambling – but still scoring only a single rushing TD last year.

Kliff Kingsbury

Appointed in 2019 and handed first overall pick Kyler Murray, Kingsbury's first task in Arizona was to make the Cardinals more effective and exciting on offense – something he achieved by delivering the second-highest season-to-season improvement in total net yards in franchise history (+1,602).

But the Cards still finished last in the NFC West with only five wins, missing the playoffs for the fourth successive season. A further year down the line, that drought is ongoing thanks to a desperate 2020 collapse from 6-3 to finish 8-8.

With the talent on this team, 2021 needs to bring tangible results. Failure to deliver again could spell trouble for Kingsbury or general manager Steve Keim – an unenviable position to be in at the helm of still the worst team in football's best division.

Carson Wentz

Wentz is slightly different to the other names on this list in that he has enjoyed success in the NFL already. A Week 14 ACL tear in 2017 meant he watched the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl win from the sidelines, but his 33 passing TDs had already set a franchise record.

Those performances felt a long way away in an awful 2020 campaign, though. Statistically, he could hardly have been worse.

Wentz threw a joint-high 15 picks and led the way with 28 pickable passes, making up 6.78 per cent of his attempts while just 68.8 per cent were accurate, well-thrown balls – a league low among QBs with 100 or more passes. Given he also lost 326 yards to his NFL-leading 50 sacks, there was very little that went well when Wentz had the ball in his hands.

The 28-year-old is now on the Indianapolis Colts, reunited with the man who helped inspire his superb 2017 campaign in Frank Reich, but has already suffered with a foot injury and a COVID bout. With Reich as his head coach, Wentz has to return a better player or his days as a starter in this league are done.

Matt Nagy

The mood music around Chicago is not great heading into the new season. The arrival of Justin Fields in the 2021 draft should provide cause for optimism, but it appears unlikely the rookie will play right away to the frustration of fans.

Mitchell Trubisky is at least gone after a dismal run as the Bears' QB – last year comparable to Wentz by a number of advanced metrics but also averaging a below-par 7.94 air yards – but coach Nagy is starting with Andy Dalton, rather than Fields.

Nagy is also calling plays again, having given up that duty as the offense failed last year.

There has been plenty wrong on that side of the ball for the Bears in recent years, but Nagy is running out of excuses. Either his approach has to work or he must adapt fast.

Jameis Winston

Nobody on this list can be as motivated as Winston, who must have feared he had already used up his NFL lives as he watched the versatile Taysom Hill fill in for Drew Brees last season. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston's former team, won the Super Bowl.

But the erratic deep passer has won the New Orleans Saints' starting job ahead of Hill this year. His haphazard style might have to change if he is to keep the role, however.

Winston threw 33 TD passes in 2019, but he also had 30 interceptions – that combination a league first. His 10.70 air yards ranked second, yet 46 pickable passes led the NFL by some distance.

His play is at complete odds to the safer approach from the retired Brees, who last year threw to an open target with 81.8 per cent of his attempts and dispatched an accurate, well-thrown ball 81.0 per cent of the time but only averaged 6.41 air yards.

As in Tampa, Winston should be fun to watch. As in Tampa, he will do well to stick around... and a third chance feels unlikely.

Philadelphia signed Wentz to a four-year, $128million extension prior to last season, a decision that looked on the way to being vindicated after he dragged an injury riddled Eagles team to the playoffs.

However, Wentz has endured a dismal start to the 2020 campaign, with his and head coach Doug Pederson's time in Philadelphia reaching a nadir in a 23-23 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday.

Wentz is completing under 60 per cent of his passes, already has six interceptions and is averaging a career-low in yards per pass attempt (5.6).

His failings have been particularly prominent in the second half of games, with the Eagles unable to close out wins over two supposedly inferior opponents in the Bengals and, in Week 1, the Washington Football Team.

Using Stats Perform data, we examine Wentz's poor start, whether he is solely to blame and if things can be turned around this season.

SECOND-HALF STRUGGLES

From 2017 through to the end of the 2019 regular season, Wentz had a passer rating of 99.6 during the second half and overtime, putting him eighth among 44 qualifying quarterbacks.

His penchant for success after the half-time interval has not carried into 2020, however.

Wentz's passer rating in the second half/overtime this season is 42.8, bottom in the league by some distance, with the next worst - Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns (66.3) - well ahead of him.

Four of his interceptions have also come after the first half while his yards per attempt figure in the second half/overtime of 4.57 is also the worst in the league.

The drop-off from Wentz's first-half passer rating of 86.9 to his second-half rating of 42.8 is the largest in the league at minus 44.1.

Those are astonishing numbers and would put him ninth on the list of biggest second-half drop-offs since 1932. Donovan McNabb is fourth on that list for his efforts for the Eagles in 2004, but his passer rating dipped from and to much higher levels (127.3 to 79.3).

In other words, when Wentz hits the field in the second half, he is enduring a dip in performance unlike any other experienced by a Philadelphia quarterback, and very few others in NFL history.

A TURNOVER-LADEN START

Wentz has been extremely careless with the football - his six interceptions are tied for fifth-most in Eagles history through the first three games while his seven turnovers in three games is second in franchise history behind Michael Vick in 2012 (9).

His propensity for turning the ball over has been compounded by an inability to push the ball beyond 10 yards with any consistent success.

On throws travelling 1-10 yards in the air, Wentz is still efficient, completing 74.5 per cent of his passes at an average of 6.56 yards per attempt.

However, he is completing just 33.3 per cent of his passes between 11-20 air yards at an average of 5.44 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and three interceptions - he only had nine picks on such throws in his entire career prior to this season.

Wentz's completion percentage on throws of 11-20 yards is the worst of his career, even coming in lower than his rookie year in 2016 (49.6), and there has also been a startling decline on third down.

Between 2017 and 2019, Wentz's third-down passer rating of 103.6 was second behind only Patrick Mahomes (114.8). In 2020, it is 64.8, though the downturn is not entirely his fault.

A LACK OF PROTECTION

Injuries to the offensive line have not helped Wentz. They lost Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks before the season to a torn Achilles while starting left tackle Andre Dillard was placed on injured reserve with a torn bicep.

Jason Peters, who the Eagles re-signed after Dillard's injury, is on IR with a toe injury and right tackle Lane Johnson is battling an ankle issue.

The protection issues have made life very difficult on Wentz, who has been sacked 11 times, with that number tied for third-most in the NFL, though eight came in Week 1.

Only four quarterbacks have received more than the 21 hits Wentz has taken in 2020, while the 49 QB pressures against him are tied-seventh in the league.

Wentz is getting very little help up front, and his cause would certainly be aided by having healthier pass-catchers.

ALSHON'S TELLING ABSENCE

Earlier this week the Eagles had just two healthy wide receivers, Greg Ward Jr. and John Hightower, on their active roster.

Philadelphia recently saw tight end Dallas Goedert suffer an ankle injury but arguably the most important absentee is wideout Alshon Jeffery.

Jeffery is sidelined with a foot problem, meaning the Eagles will be without a receiver who has caught 17 touchdowns from Wentz between 2017 and 2019.

In 10 games without Jeffery, Wentz averages 6.28 yards per attempt and has a touchdown to interception ratio of 1.44.

Those numbers increase to 7.33 YPA and 3.94 TD-INT in Wentz's 33 games with Jeffery. Additionally, he has connected 49 times with Jeffery on throws of 11-20 yards since 2017 for 762 yards and nine touchdowns.

He has also targeted Jeffery 95 times on third down in that same span, completing 51 of them for 560 yards and eight touchdowns.

A healthier offensive line and the return of Jeffery could go a long way to fixing Wentz's issues but, by the time the Eagles get those players back it could be too late.

San Francisco's defense, which has allowed opponents to reach the red zone just four times this season, should relish playing a turnover-prone quarterback struggling to throw beyond 10 yards.

If the banged-up Eagles cannot find a way to escape the Bay Area with a win, history is against them turning it around regardless of what Wentz does going forward.

Only two teams - the 1963 Buffalo Bills and the 1992 San Diego Chargers - have made the playoffs after going winless through four games. Wentz and the Eagles have shown little sign of having what it takes to join that select group.

The Colts are in a perilous situation at quarterback after Reich confirmed Carson Wentz, whom they traded for in the offseason to be their starter, would undergo foot surgery and miss five to 12 weeks.

Wentz is therefore in danger of missing the opening two months of the 2021 season, leaving the Colts facing up to the prospect of starting Jacob Eason, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, under center.

Reich was the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator when Wentz was in the MVP conversation in 2017 before he suffered a season-ending injury and was replaced by Foles, who spectacularly guided the Eagles to Super Bowl glory.

It was hoped the reunion between Reich and Wentz could revive the latter's career after his dismal final season with the Eagles but his injury has led to talk of the Colts bringing Foles, now the third-string quarterback with the Chicago Bears, into the mix.

Asked about that possibility, Foles told a media conference: "Frank Reich is one of my favourite if not favourite coaches of all time, he understands me as a player, he understands me as a person.

"I haven't had any talks with him. I'm a Chicago Bear right now. You all watched the 2017 season in the playoffs where he changed the offense and built it around me and y'all saw what happened, he understood my mentality as a player and he was able to build it around me and put me in a successful position.

"That being said they have Carson, and Carson and I have a lot of history. I have a lot of respect for Carson, he's a tremendous player, he's going through adversity once again but he'll bounce back. He might miss a few games but I know he'll be back out there, but we haven't had any talks.

"Right now I'm a Chicago Bear and I'm going to keep slinging it with these third-stringers and we're going to dice 'em up."

On talks with other teams, Foles added: "There was a couple of opportunities that came to me this offseason with a couple of teams but it wasn't the right time.

"It wasn't the right time or the situation with what was going on in my life. You don't just want to go somewhere to go somewhere, you want to go somewhere where you know the people somewhat or you know someone who knows the people that can vouch for the people so you can succeed.

"Listen, I feel great. The version of me right now is much better than the version of me that played in the Super Bowl, I'll tell you that and I'm confident in that, so put that through your mind, I know that.

"I know what this game's about, you have to have the whole package as a team, you have to have everyone in there. Top-down has to be great, if it's not great you're going to be mediocre. I've seen it and I've been a part of it, and unfortunately when you're a quarterback you've got to go through a lot of the baloney.

"That's part of it, that's why we play this position because at the end of the day there might be some kid that's watching this press conference and they say Nick Foles is a three quarterback and he's going out there and his mentality is to dice up that defense and help his team-mates and that's what I will continue to do until I lace up the cleats for the last time."

Indianapolis started the year with three successive defeats and the Colts' gamble on their ability to revive Carson Wentz's career looking misjudged.

Since then, the Colts have enjoyed wins over the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans, sandwiched by a heartbreaking defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in which they let slip a 19-point lead and lost in overtime.

The performances in those last three games have led to renewed optimism around a team that has reached the playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

Should Indianapolis knock off the San Francisco 49ers on the road in primetime, then the hype around the Colts will only grow.

Yet the 49ers figure to prove a difficult matchup for a quarterback whose performances in recent weeks have perhaps been slightly overrated.

Sub-par accuracy

Ninth in the league in yards per attempt (8.01) and with nine touchdowns to one interception, the numbers through six games for Wentz are impressive.

Yet his completion percentage is 64.2, 21st among 32 qualifying quarterbacks and that is reflected by his accuracy numbers.

Wentz, per Stats Perform data, has produced an accurate, well-thrown ball on 77.7 per cent of his passes, below the league average of 78.8 for quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts.

And he is set to face a Niners defense that has once again been among the league's best this season.

An intimidating defensive line

While the 49ers are themselves an underwhelming 2-3 and riding a three-game losing streak, their defense is excelling under new coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

The 49ers rank sixth in the NFL by yards per game allowed (329.8) and eighth in yards per play (5.29) and, while they are 30th in the NFL with only 76 pressures, they boast defensive linemen who can get Wentz out of rhythm.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead and edge rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford have each dominated in 2021 when it comes to winning their individual matchups.

Armstead has a stunt-adjusted win percentage of 52.63 from his 49 pass rush matchups this year. Ford is next on 45 per cent while Bosa has an adjusted win percentage of 41.54 from 60 matchups. The league average for defensive linemen is 22 per cent.

They will each look to prosper against a Colts offense that has allowed the ninth-most pressures in the NFL (105) while the numbers suggest the Niners should excel at limiting the explosive plays on which Wentz has found joy in recent weeks.

Big plays not a guarantee

On passing attempts of 21 or more air yards, Wentz has the highest passer rating in the NFL (144.7).

He has completed 11 of 18 such attempts for 377 yards and three touchdowns and showed off his deep-ball prowess during last week's rout of the Texans.

Wentz hooked up with Parris Campbell for a 51-yard touchdown and connected with T.Y. Hilton for a 52-yard reception; however, such plays are partially a reflection of the struggles of a Texans defense allowing 7.6 yards per pass play.

The 49ers, despite a spate of injuries to their cornerbacks, have allowed 43 pass plays of 10 yards or more, the fewest in the NFL. San Francisco's defense has conceded 16 pass plays of 20 yards or more, the seventh-fewest in the league.

Wentz, therefore, may be forced into a more conservative approach in a game expected to take place in inclement weather. Helpfully, he may be able to lean more on the running game, with San Francisco 16th in yards per rush allowed (4.26) and running back Jonathan Taylor fifth in the NFL in yards per carry (5.43) for players at his position as he enjoys a superb start to his second season.

Indianapolis' signal-caller can also afford to at least have confidence in his ability to avoid turnovers. His pickable pass percentage of 1.68 is the fourth best among quarterbacks with a minimum of 10 attempts and the 49ers have a league-low two takeaways to their name.

A closer look at the evidence from his reunion with Colts coach Frank Reich indicates Wentz might find success difficult on Sunday should the Colts need to win the game on his arm. If he contradicts the statistics and thrives against a tough defense on the road, then the optimism around Indianapolis will be more justified.

Making his first start in place of embattled quarterback Carson Wentz, Hurts fuelled the Eagles to a 24-21 upset of the Saints in the NFL on Sunday.

Hurts went 17-of-30 passing for 167 yards and a touchdown, while he had 106 yards on 18 carries as Wentz watched from the sidelines in Philadelphia.

His performance helped the Eagles snap a four-game losing streak, while the Saints had their nine-game winning run ended in surprise fashion.

Pederson was asked if Hurts will start against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, but the under-fire coach replied: "I'm gonna enjoy this one.

"I'm gonna go home and relax and be with my family tonight and enjoy this win and get ready for the week."

"I thought overall there were some good things, and [Hurts] really kind of gave us a spark as a team that I was looking for and I think we were looking for as a team," Pederson said.

"But this win today is not about one guy. This win is about this team and how resilient this team is and we went through it again today."

Hurts joined Lamar Jackson as the only players since at least 1950 to have 100-plus rushing yards in their first career start at quarterback, per NFL Research.

"It's not all about me," Hurts told FOX post-game. "This is a great team and we have a lot of great players, and I'm just so excited we got this win today. We worked really hard this week."

"I think going into next week, I just want to continue to impact the guys around me, just work hard every day," Hurts added. "I always try to encourage somebody to bring somebody with them, and I just want to continue to get better at doing my job.

"I have a lot I can learn from this game as well as us as a team, so just continuing to work, keeping that hunger and building on this thing this week."

Philadelphia's Hurts and team-mate Miles Sanders both had 100 rushing yards, snapping the Saints' streak of 50 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher – the fourth longest run since 1950, according to NFL Research.

Sanders' 82-yard rushing touchdown was the fourth longest rushing TD in Eagles history, while he also became the first player in franchise history with multiple 70-plus yard rushing touchdowns in a single season.