After dropping three consecutive games, rookie quarterback Carson Wentz remains composed as he faces unfamiliar territory.
Wentz isn't one who is familiar with losing. At North Dakota State, Wentz recorded a 20-3 record as a two-year starter and was a part of five National Championship teams in five seasons on campus. His current team is 5-7 after Sunday's loss in Cincinnati. The current three-game losing streak is the longest for Wentz and the Eagles this season.
"It's frustrating. No one likes losing, especially in this business as a quarterback. I'm wired to be a winner," Wentz stated.
"I hate losing, but at the same time it doesn't affect us going forward. I know it doesn't affect me and I can probably say the same thing for those guys in the locker room. We're going to come in and prepare and be the same win or lose because I think that's what it takes to be great. You can't waiver, you can't change how you approach things. You can't change how you go about your business - win, lose or draw - but at the same time, without a doubt we don't like losing around here."
Right guard Brandon Brooks has been impressed by the way Wentz has handled the peaks and the valleys of the season.
"As a rookie quarterback, a week before the season, the guy in front of you gets traded. You're the guy who gets the keys to the franchise," Brooks said. "He comes out and performs, and not just performs average, but better than average and above it.
"Playing in one of the tougher cities to play in, especially when you're sitting here with the record we have and mentally to block out you know all of the noise and keep performing and keep doing well I think he's handling it tremendously."
Wentz was without his most-targeted receiver last week in Jordan Matthews, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 12 matchup against the Packers. Matthews was limited in practice on Wednesday, but is slowly but surely making his return.
"Obviously getting Jordan back hopefully this week will be huge. Having a guy like that and a guy I can trust is huge. But at the same time I know Trey Burton last week stepped up huge. Paul Turner stepped up huge. I love Jordan, and it'll be good to get him back there, but it was good to see some of those other guys step up at the same time," Wentz explained.
The Eagles host the NFC East-rival Redskins at the Linc on Sunday to try and snap the current losing streak.
"It's just full speed ahead with the Redskins here. We know what we're capable of, everyone in this building does. We just have to get over that hump a little bit," Wentz concluded.
