Rookie Wentz continues to play like a seasoned vet

Carson Wentz gave a look of frustration and arched his back before popping up and slapping his hands. The Eagles quarterback had just stared down the barrel of the blitzing Jerrell Freeman and delivered a BB to Brent Celek for a 19-yard gain. He took a tremendous shot.

But the effort was all for naught. Eagles center Jason Kelce was called for holding and the pass was negated. Wentz had every reason to be upset, but in retrospect he probably wouldn't have been as demonstrative when he learned of Kelce's penalty.

Rookies don't show up veterans - even No. 2 overall draft picks. But if Kelce cared, he didn't give off that vibe after the Eagles torched the Bears, 29-14, in Chicago on Monday night. And why would he? Wentz is playing like a seasoned pro just two games into his career, and if anyone on the offense has the right to express displeasure it's him.

"Carson is right now the most consistent guy on offense it seems like," Kelce said. "He's putting the ball everywhere it needs to be, making the right checks, doing everything he's supposed to. Once the [offensive line] starts getting things fixed and starts playing better, once the receivers start catching everything, I think this thing is really going to take off."

And that's a remarkable - and accurate - statement. Wentz's numbers could have been even better in victories over the Browns and Bears. Now there's some question as to whether the offensive line and the receivers can turn it around, but Wentz hasn't come close to reaching his ceiling - even if the competition increases starting with Sunday's game against the Steelers.

"I'm feeling really good," Wentz said after the game. "I play with a lot of confidence. I usually feel good even when there's bad plays."

There weren't many. Wentz completed 21 of 34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. He has thrown 71 total passes and taken 149 snaps and has yet to turn over the ball. He is only the fifth rookie quarterback since the 1970 NFL merger to win his first two starts - John Elway, Ryan Leaf, Joe Flacco, and Mark Sanchez were the others - and he is the only one to do so without an interception or fumble.

He seemingly has it all. He has the mental maturity, the arm strength, a feathery touch, pocket awareness, athleticism and toughness. If there's a knock on Wentz thus far it is that he holds the ball too long, whether in the pocket or when scrambling.

It's far too early to say how he will harness his considerable talents. His recklessness makes him only an injury away from having his budding career derailed. But coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich have 27 and 19 combined years of NFL playing and coaching experience and each has compared Wentz to that of a 10-year vet over the last week.

"He's constantly playing the game in his mind," Pederson said Monday, "and that's what's given him, I think, an edge."

Pederson felt comfortable enough with Wentz's preparedness that he had him run the no-huddle during the Eagles' opening drive against the Bears. Almost every play had an empty backfield. Wentz checked to new plays about half the time after surveying the defense before the snap.

"It gave me confidence early," Wentz said.

Kelce called Wentz "rock solid" in changing protections. The quarterback's knowledge of the Bears' defense was evident throughout. In the third quarter, the Eagles went with their three-tight end set, but rather than run out of the formation, Wentz flicked a short screen to Trey Burton, who walked into the end zone.

"We knew they were going to bring a lot of big guys in," Burton said. "That's what they've shown. So we knew we wanted to shoot it out to the perimeter."

Wentz's cannon arm can bail him out when pressured or when time is of the essence. He doesn't always need to go to his fastball, but when necessary - as it was on fourth down when he hit Dorial Green-Beckham on a 9-yard slant - he has the heater.

"When you start looking at putting game plans together," Pederson said, "you don't shy away from any throw because he has the ability to do that."

But he has other pitches in his arsenal. He displayed a deft hand on a 32-yard floater when Jordan Matthews found the soft spot in the Bears' zone. He dropped a 14-yard alley-oop into Burton's bucket on third down. He couldn't have placed a late second-quarter pass to Matthews in a better spot. It was a likely six points, but the receiver dropped the ball.

Wentz's sixth sense allowed him to move within and out of the pocket away from pressure. He stepped up on the 32-yarder. He rolled to his left away from a collapsing pocket and threw across his body to Nelson Agholor for 18 yards.

And when he had only a split-second and endured body blows, he bounced up off the grass. That kind of toughness emboldens teammates and it drains opposing defenses.

"We saw everything," Bears safety Harold Jones-Quartey said. "He's definitely a tough quarterback."

But quarterbacks like Wentz have to fight that inner running back. He could run over, around or even over defenders in college, but the risk far outweighs potential reward in the NFL. On the last play of the first drive, Wentz had nothing as he rolled right, but he tucked the ball away, took a blow and lost 4 yards.

The play there was to throw the ball away. A quarter later, he scrambled, but rather than run out of bounds or slide, he lowered his shoulder and bounced off a Bear and into another before falling on his back.

He took about shot when he ran and stayed upright.

"I'm my own worst critic," Wentz said. "I came back to the huddle and I was kind of [upset] at myself, as well. Those are things I just got to keep working on."

He's far from a finished product. He's had trouble with intermediate "out" routes. He underthrew Agholor twice on deep balls. He's had some issues on short passes, for some reason. But he's no longer a one-game wonder. There's growing evidence Wentz is the real deal.

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane