The 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles head to Washington this weekend to face the Commanders, and it will be the first time quarterback Carson Wentz will face his former team.
Wentz had a very Philadelphia time with the Eagles. He was drafted as a potential savior, helping lead the team into the playoffs in 2017, but then tore his ACL in December. Nick Foles went on to become the Eagles’ Super Bowl hero.
The Eagles signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million deal following the end of the 2019 season, and injuries and poor play dogged him until he fell out of favor and was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March of 2021. Wentz got through a whole season for the Colts but was then traded to the Commanders in a draft pick deal.
Getting Used to Seeing Wentz with Washington
Virginia sportsbooks are still trying to get a handle on how effective Wentz will be with his new team.
Wentz has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his two games for 1-1 Washington with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He now goes up against an Eagles defense that beat the stuffing out of Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins on Monday night. Cousins’ most frequent receiving target was Eagles corner Darius Slay, who had two interceptions and could have had a hat trick.
The Commanders are 6.5-point underdogs at BetMGM Virginia.
The Eagles are a -275 favorite on the moneyline, and the Commanders are a +230 underdog. The over-under is set at 47.5.
Over at Caesars Virginia, the odds also are set with the Eagles a 6.5-point favorite. The Birds are -292 on the moneyline and the Commanders are +235. The over-under is 47.
How Do QBs Fare Against Their Old Squads?
This quarterback reunion with a former team is just one of many for legal VA betting apps over the past few seasons, so BetVirginia.com went back to 2020 to look at how QBs typically perform in their first game against their former squad.
Methodology: BetVirginia.com utilized ProFootballReference.com to determine the statistics and trends that we found by gathering all the starting quarterbacks vs. their former team since the beginning of the 2020 NFL season. The quarterbacks needed to have started the game to be included in this trend and 11 QBs fit this narrative.
The chart will show how those quarterbacks fared as a whole, on average.
Starting QBs vs. Former Team Since 2020 NFL Season
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A Closer Look at Previous QB/Previous Team Matchups
Here are some of the those meetings:
Sept. 12, 2022: Russell Wilson returned to Seattle in his first game as a Bronco, against a rebuilding Seahawks squad. Wilson threw for 340 yards and a TD, but the Broncos were upset, 17-16.
Sept. 11, 2022: When the Cleveland Browns taunted the karma gods by signing Deshaun Watson, former savior Baker Mayfield became expendable. He opened up his first season with the Panthers against his old group and the result was a great comeback followed by a late loss on a 58-yard field goal. Mayfield was just OK, going 16-for-27 for 235 yards, one TD passing and one running and one pick. He had an 84.6 QB rating.
Jan. 2, 2022: The Titans’ Ryan Tannehill hosted Miami in a 34-3 Tennessee blowout. In the Titans’ ball-control offense, even without an injured Derrick Henry, Tannehill was 13-for-18 for 120 yards and two TDs and a very efficient 127.1 rating.
Oct. 24, 2021: The Matt Stafford Rams hosted the Jared Goff Lions after those two quarterbacks traded places. The eventual Super Bowl champion Rams won, 28-19. Goff went 22-for-36 with one TD and two INTs for a 70.1 rating. Stafford went 28-for-41 for 334 yards, with three TDs and a 117.3 rating.
Oct. 3, 2021: Tom Brady returned to Foxboro with the Buccaneers and a late FG gave the Bucs a 19-17 win. Brady struggled, going 22-for-43 for 269 yards with no TDs or picks and a 70.8 QB rating.
Sept. 12, 2021: Sam Darnold never clicked with the Jets — few do — but he opened his first season with the Carolina Panthers against his old team. The result was a 19-14 Carolina win in which Darnold threw for 279 yards on 24-for-35 passing with one TD and a QB rating of 102.
