Slowing down rookie QB Carson Wentz will be key for Giants defense

Carson Wentz is impressive despite being a rookie, so says New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo when asked about the quarterback his unit will face on Sunday.

Despite some rougher games over the past few weeks, Wentz has had a tremendous start to his NFL career and it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles may just have a franchise quarterback. He’s made solid decisions – as evidenced by just two interceptions in his first seven games – and he has the offense outperforming expectations. He appears to be the embodiment of why the Eagles moved up in the NFL Draft to take him No. 2 overall.

So far this year, Wentz has 1,526 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I think he is a pretty good football player. I really didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t studied him and then as you get deep into it with the extra week you have a lot of film. I am impressed with him; our players are very impressed with him. He is a big, strong, athletic quarterback that, I think, shows a lot of intelligence,” Spagnuolo said on Thursday.

“Sometimes you see rookie quarterbacks that worry more about getting the ball somewhere than worrying about moving a safety with his eyes and he does that. I think he is well coached. Frank [Reich] and Doug [Pederson] obviously are both former NFL quarterbacks, so he is getting some really good coaching there and I think they have been real efficient with what they have been doing with him. They have been in a lot more manageable situations because of the run game and the things they are doing, so I think that has helped them have that completion percentage and he obviously was ready to go out there and play. They made the move, pulled the trigger and it has worked out pretty good for them.

Currently, Wentz is on pace for 3,488 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions. When stacked against last year’s quarterbacks, he would have finished ahead of the likes of Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco and even Peyton Manning in terms of passing yards.