Following a brutal end to the Indianapolis Colts’ 2021 NFL season, everyone has been talking about the future of quarterback Carson Wentz. Many believe that the franchise should move on from the veteran quarterback. Others are split on the topic and even more believe that Indianapolis should give him a second chance.
No matter where you stand on the fence, the Colts have a decision to make. Do they believe that Wentz can be their quarterback and lead them back to Super Bowl contention?
One former NFL quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, offered major support for Wentz staying with the Colts. It certainly isn’t a popular opinion right now, but he made the case anyway.
Looking at the numbers for Wentz this season, they weren’t horrible from an individual stat perspective. He played decent on paper, but it was what he didn’t do that hurt the Colts so much. Wentz was unable to make the big play down the field and he struggled at times with his accuracy in the short and mid game.
He ended the season completing 62.4 percent of his pass attempts for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Wentz also picked up 215 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Those numbers aren’t bad, but they weren’t enough to get the Colts into the playoffs.
Obviously, there are some questions about the weapons that Wentz had to work with. T.Y. Hilton isn’t a No. 1 receiver anymore, Michael Pittman Jr. has shown the potential but isn’t quite there yet, Zach Pascal was practically non-existent for most of the year, and Parris Campbell was hurt for most of the season. His tight ends were Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox, who weren’t consistent or utilized the best way they could have been.
No matter what your opinion on Carson Wentz is, he isn’t the only one at fault for the Colts missing the playoffs. A lot of that responsibility should be put on head coach Frank Reich. It will be interesting to see what the Colts end up doing this offseason.