Report: Carson Wentz’s Back Injury May Have Happened In Week 6

Could the root to Carson Wentz back injury have happened against the New York Giants in week 6? That is a very good possibility.




It was announced on December 12th that Carson Wentz sustained a fracture in his back. That fracture being in one of his vertebrae in his lower-back, revealed in a scan that week.

 

But, did the injury happen the week prior against the Dallas Cowboys? NO. But, the pain from the fracture at that point may have been too painful to play through.

 

According to a private medical doctor, the location of Wentz’s back fracture is very painful when doing repetitive motions. Which is not good for Carson Wentz being a quarterback and having to repeat a throwing motion over and over again. That repetitive motion may have been putting more pressure on the fracture and causing Wentz more pain.

 

Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews said this following the team announcing Wentz’s injury… “Obviously he’s been playing through it. Tough kid, tough guy.”




All but confirming Wentz didn’t suffer the injury against Dallas the week prior. Therefore, was Wentz playing hurt against the Cowboys in Week 14? Very likely. But, that is common in athletes playing through injuries towards the end of the season. So, if Wentz was playing injured, when did the injury happen then?

 

The direct date, game, and location of the injury will probably never be known or revealed. Very possible the Eagles and Wentz don’t actually know. However, can you pin-point the root to the possible injury? Yes.

 

According to a source familiar with the situation, Carson Wentz has been dealing with severe stiffness and excruciating spasms in his back since Week 6 against the Giants.

 

In week 6 against the Giants, Wentz was sacked 4 times and hit over 10 times in the game. But, on a deep-ball thrown to Jordan Matthews, Wentz was thrown to the ground and looked to be in some discomfort when trying to get up.

 





This hit, plus the combination of the beating Wentz took in Week 6, was why many thought Wentz hit the injury report the next week with back spasms. But, could this have been where the root of Wentz’s eventual back fracture possibly occurred and got worse as the season went on?

 

Now, that is a very good possibility. But, since Wentz was only having back spasms, no scan was performed. Therefore, you can’t pin-point the injury to this exact game. However, the beating Carson Wentz took in Week 6 against the Giants could have very well been the root to his eventual fracture.

 

Just like Matthews said, Wentz is a tough guy. Carson Wentz has a real high tolerance for pain. But, everybody’s pain threshold comes to a breaking point at some level of pain and discomfort. Could the Dallas game been that point? Very likely and the scan performed confirmed the pain and discomfort.

 

So, could Wentz’s injury happened in Week 6? Possibly. Could his performances the rest of the season been effected by a possible injury in Week 6? Yes. Could Carson Wentz have been playing injured since Week 6? Possibly.




If you look at the workload Wentz had after Week 6, that is a good possibility. When Carson Wentz threw the ball at a 2-1 ratio, pass to run, Wentz struggled. Being unusually inaccurate and very stiff in his throwing motion. Those games were Week 10 Cowboys, week 11 Saints, and week 14 Cowboys. All had the same result, an Eagles loss. (0-3)

 

However, when Carson Wentz wasn’t tasked with throwing the ball at that ratio, Wentz faired a lot better. (3-1) Those games were Week 7 Panthers, Week 8 Jaguars, Week 12 Giants, and Week 13 Redskins.

 

But, look at the time-line here. The Eagles were a heavy pass first offense leading up til Week 7. Then, in Week 7 & 8, a more balanced pass to run attack was put forth. Coincidence? Possibly. But, could the Eagles have been protecting Wentz from pain and discomfort? Possibly because this happened again a few weeks later.

 

After the Eagles beat the Jaguars in Week 8, they had a bye week. A full week of rest for the whole team, not just Carson Wentz. However, the following week, Week 10 against the Cowboys, the Eagles offense went back to a pass heavy workload. In that game, Wentz struggled throwing the ball.




The following week, the only way the Eagles had a chance against the NFCs best, New Orleans Saints, was to throw the ball. And, once again, Wentz struggled. However, remember that coincidence? The next week, when the Eagles faced the Giants, the Eagles went with a more balanced pass to run attack again. Against the Giants, Wentz looked like Wentz. Same the following week against the Redskins with that same balanced attack.

 

Then, Week 14 against Dallas, the Eagles went back to the pass heavy offense and Wentz struggled badly. Which led to the scan revealing the back fracture two days later.

 

Now, this could all be a coincidence. However, when you try to pin-point the injury. These direct correlations make it hard not to believe in some way or another Carson Wentz may have injured his back in Week 6. Played through the pain. Quite possibly making the injury worse by trying to play through the pain and discomfort. Resulting in the fracture revealed after the loss to the Cowboys in Week 14.



By Brandon Sommermann | January 2, 2019