Murphy: Three pictures that show Carson Wentz outside his comfort zone

The first few weeks, it looked way too easy for Carson Wentz. That's probably a testament to how well Doug Pederson, Frank Reich and John DeFilippo prepared him for the defenses he was going to see. We never saw him throwing into coverage. Every throw he made seemed to feature a one-on-one or one-on-none situation.

Maybe the Browns, Bears and Steelers coaching staffs were simply overmatched. Maybe their talent simply wasn't good. Maybe the league is starting to understand how Pederson and Wentz are processing the looks that defenses give them. Maybe the league is adjusting accordingly.

Whatever the case, in his last two games Wentz has averaged 14 for 25 for 158 yards and an interception and rushed a combined seven times for eight yards, with five sacks. That's a far cry from his first four games, when he averaged 23 for 34 for 252 yards with a combined seven touhdowns, one interception, seven sacks, and 11 carries for 35 yards.

We're not suggesting there's anything "wrong" with Wentz, nor are we attempting to offer a single unified theory of why the last two games have unfolded like they have. But there was one play on Sunday that jumped out at me in real time, and not just because it was a play on which Wentz was intercepted. Rather, it was the Vikings' pre- and post-snap maneuvering that interested me.

This was the first quarter. Take a look at the picture below, which shows the look the Vikings are showing as Wentz begins his count.

As you can see, Minnesota is showing what appears to be some sort of Cover 1 look, with a single-high safety (yellow) playing center field and the corners lined up tight to the line of scrimmage. The second safety (blue) is at the line of scrimmage. That's Dorial Green Beckham opposite the red circle at the top of the frame. We've seen this situation before, and we've seen the Eagles run either a fade or a quick slant, because in this look it seems as if there isn't going to be any over-the-top help, and there might not be any inside help if the second safety (blue) blitzes or is frozen while minding his run gap.

Now, here's what actually happens on the snap:

At the snap, the corner (red) who was at the line sprints downfield and drops into an over-the-top zone while the safety (blue) rotates into man coverage on DGB. Rather than Cover 1, the Vikings are actually in what appears to be a Cover 2 man. The Eagles keep two extra blockers in, so the Vikings essentially have five DBs covering three receivers. If Wentz had checked into a fade, the corner would have been in a perfect position to make a play on the ball. If he'd checked to a slant, the safety would have been right there. Instead, Wentz ended up going to his second option on the play, Nelson Agholor (purple box below):

As you can see, Wentz has plenty of room to throw -- he just doesn't have anybody open. The right read is probably to try to hit Jordan Matthews on the far numbers and settle for a minimal gain and punt (it was third and 11). Instead, Wentz appears to do one of two things: 1) Tries to make a perfect throw to a receiver who is covered both underneath and over the top, or 2) doesn't realize that the yellow circle safety is there and that the Vikings are not in Cover 1 and that there are, in fact, two defenders over the top.

In the end, it doesn't matter, because he makes a poor throw, and the underneath defensive back is able to undercut it and make the interception. Even if it was a good throw, though, it would have been intercepted or knocked down by the yellow circle safety, as you can see on the replay, as all three Vikings defenders in the vicinity converge on the ball.

Again, the usual disclaimer applies: This isn't an exercise in negativity. Nobody is suggesting the Eagles should've taken Jared Goff. It's just an interesting play that gives a good look at some of the things NFL defenses do to keep quarterbacks and play-callers from diagnosing coverages. Mike Zimmer is a master at it, and you really have to watch his Vikings play from a wide angle to appreciate all they do to keep their opponents guessing.