The Commanders are strapped in the Carson Wentz roller coaster, with all its ups and downs

Six Flags America stands just over seven miles from FedEx Field in Bowie, Maryland. A quick spin down the Capitol Beltway, coupled with a few miles east along Maryland Route 214, takes you from where the Washington Commanders play on Sundays, to where thrill seekers get to ride roller coasters such as Batwing, Firebird, and Superman: Ride of Steel.

After Sunday, those seeking up-and-down thrills might want to reverse those directions, and leave Six Flags behind for Carson Wentz and the confines of FedEx Field.

As described by former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, Wentz’s debut in the burgundy and gold was “the most Carson Wentz game of all time.” In Washington’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wentz hit on 27 of 41 passes for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns, but also threw a pair of jaw-dropping interceptions in the fourth quarter that allowed the visitors to claw back into the game and take the lead.

Yet Wentz came through down the stretch, as he closed out the game with two of those touchdown passes in the final ten minutes, propelling Washington to the victory.

Wentz was hot early in the game, as he guided the Commanders to a touchdown on their first possession of the 2022 campaign. The big play on the opening drive came when Wentz delivered perhaps his best throw of the day, connecting with running back Antonio Gibson on a deep corner route along the right side of the field:

This is a brilliant design from offensive coordinator Scott Turner. The Commanders are in 20 offensive personnel for this play, with three wide receivers on the field along with a pair of running backs (Gibson and Jonathan Williams) who flank Wentz in the shotgun. As Wentz carries out a run fake to Williams towards the left side, Gibson leaks out of the backfield on a corner route to the right side of the field. A post route from Terry McLaurin on that side of the field draws the cornerback’s attention, allowing Wentz to target Gibson and drop in a perfectly-thrown ball.

Wentz and the Commanders would finish the drive with a short touchdown throw to Curtis Samuel on this rub concept:

Wentz’s second touchdown pass of the 2022 season came on another well-designed play, that featured patience and good decision-making from the quarterback. Facing a 2nd-and-6 from the Jacksonville 7-yard line, Washington sets up with Wentz in the shotgun, and Gibson standing to his left. Samuel comes in motion across the formation just prior to the snap, and Wentz meets Gibson in the backfield to read the defense on this RPO concept. The quarterback takes his time reading the defense, and as the second- and third-level defenders crash downhill, Wentz pulls the ball and hits rookie receiver Jahan Dotson on the quick glance route:

Wentz takes his time at the mesh point, using every second possible to make his decision. It pays off, as Washington extends their lead to 14-3.

Slowly, however, the Wentz roller coaster began to turn. Washington was kept out of the end zone during the third quarter, and the quarter ended with a Wentz interception that was nullified due to a Jacksonville penalty.

There would be no yellow flag of reprieve coming to save Wentz a few plays later:

With Jacksonville dropping into Quarter-Quarter-Half coverage on this play, Wentz tries to hit Dotson on the out route on the left side of the field, attacking from the right hashmark. This is a long throw, and with the cornerback to that side dropping into quarter-field zone coverage, any delay in getting the ball out gives the defender a chance to get the ball out. As described by Griffin, there are two things you cannot do as a quarterback when making this throw: Throw it late, or leave it inside. “He made the two cardinal sins on the out route — you don’t throw it late, and you don’t leave it inside.”

Wentz does both.

Jacksonville would settle for a field goal on their ensuing possession, giving them a one-point lead. Armed with a chance to make up for his mistake, Wentz delivered his second head-scratcher of the day on his very next passing attempt:

Washington tries to set up a screen to Gibson, but rookie pass rusher Travon Walker peels off his blocker and makes the interception, returning it deep inside Commanders’ territory. This play seemed almost doomed from the start, and as Griffin pointed out, if Walker did not make the interception, someone else on Jacksonville was going to:

He did that and he got picked off, and then he throws one directly to Travon Walker which, to me, I don’t know if anybody else was watching but the screen was never there. He shouldn’t have even thrown the ball. Because if Walker didn’t pick it off, the other guy was gonna knock it down.

I think on Friday, they told him, ‘Hey Carson, on this play you don’t have to think at all. Just fake it to the running back, turn around and fling it to him. He’ll be wide open for ya.’ So he probably shut his brain off in that moment and didn’t truly see what the defense was doing, but when that play’s not there, you’ve got to throw it at the running back’s feet.

But just as it looked like the Carson Wentz roller coaster was going to finish on a down note, the quarterback changed Washington’s fortunes down the stretch. Flashing shades of his 2017 MVP-level season, Wentz delivered a pair of touchdowns in the final ten minutes, putting Washington in position for the win.

A third-down conversion to tight end Logan Thomas on Washington’s next possession was the jump-start, as Wentz bought time in the pocket before finding Thomas on the out route to move the chains:

This drive ended with a throw that Griffin described as one that maybe “five guys in the league” can make, as Wentz connected with McLaurin along the right sideline for the touchdown:

After hitting his drop depth in the pocket, Wentz climbs and spots McLaurin in the soft spot of the zone coverage, along the right sideline. He uncorks a perfect all, hitting the receiver in stride, and McLaurin streaks into the end zone for the touchdown.

Then Wentz closed out his afternoon targeting Dotson on an out-and-up route along the left sideline, connecting with the rookie for his fourth score of the day:

Wentz’s performance on Sunday was, as Griffin outlined, perhaps the quintessential Wentz outing. He is a quarterback that makes jaw-dropping plays, both good and bad. The key question for Washington is which version of Wentz will they see most often this season? The one we saw early in the fourth quarter, who reminded some of his final year in Philadelphia, or the one was saw early in the game, or down the stretch? The quarterback that for a time in 2017 seemed like an MVP candidate?

The best roller coasters package together thrills and uncertainty. What we saw from Wentz on Sunday reminded many of the attractions just down the road from FedEx Field. Just how thrilling the Wentz ride will be this season remains to be seen, but it at least ended on Sunday on a high note.