NFL Hot Takes Week 5: Coach of the Year Will Be Tough Call

Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett celebrates running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) third quarter touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett celebrates running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) third quarter touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (92) during the second half of a game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (92) during the second half of a game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Carson Wentz gets first taste of adversity

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Rookie quarterbacks don’t enjoy winning all the time in the NFL. As great as Carson Wentz has been so far in 2016, he couldn’t avoid facing some hardships forever. The Detroit Lions surprisingly gave him some. Wentz ran into trouble against their defense. Surprising since they still are without star pass rusher Ezekiel Ansah. The rookie threw a costly interception in the final minutes to doom the Philadelphia Eagles’ hopes of a comeback.

It’s those kinds of mistakes and learning from that that will define how high Wentz will fly in the future or how low he’ll sink. For the time being his job is to block the loss from his mind and move on to next week. The Eagles remain in firm contention in the NFC East. It will be fun to see if their comments and predictions about Wentz and his uncanny intelligence and poise are true. So far, despite the setback, there is no reason to doubt it.