Carson Wentz was the second pick of the 2016 NFL draft and looked like the league’s MVP in his second year.
His Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017, although Wentz was on the sideline with a torn ACL. It was never the same for the former North Dakota State after that.
Until maybe now. Wentz, with his sixth team in six years, is playing almost as well as he did in 2017. Taking over for an injured J.J. McCarthy, Wentz has won two of his three starts for the Minnesota Vikings and has a quarterback rating of 99.5 in those three games. That’s nearly 10 points higher than his career rating of 89.6.
Wentz is one of five quarterbacks who have had a resurgence this season with a team other than the one that spent a first-round draft pick on them. The new Fab Five have combined to win 19 of 25 starts this season.
Here’s a look at the other four.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay
Drafted by Cleveland with the first overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, Mayfield is having a MVP season for the Bucs, his fourth team since 2021. The Browns gave up on Mayfield and sent him to Carolina, who never really gave him a chance. He spent about half of a year in Los Angeles and has been great in Tampa. The Bucs are 5-1 and Nayfield has thrown 12 touchdowns and just one interception for a QB rating of 108.5
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis
The Giants made Jones the 6th overall pick of the 2019 draft, gave him a nice second contract and then let him go when he went 3-13 over parts of his final two seasons with them. With the Colts, who are 5-1, he’s been phenomenal. Jones is completing 71.7 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 104.4, which is almost 20 points better than his career mark of 85.8.
Sam Darnold, Seattle
Taken two picks after Mayfield (3rd overall) by the New York Jets in the 2018 draft, Darnold’s resurgence began last year in Minnesota. On his fifth team since 2020, Darnold is off to an even better start than the one had for the Vikings last year. The Seahawks are 4-2, Darnold has thrown 11 touchdown passes for a QB rating of 116.3 and has a league-best 17 games of a rating of 100+ since the start of 2024.
Mac Jones, San Francisco
Taken with the 15th pick of the 2021 draft by New England, Jones got the unenviable task of replacing Tom Brady for the Pats. He had a good rookie season and New England made the playoffs, but it went down from there and his one year in Jacksonville wasn’t very good, either. Now with the 49ers, he replaced an injured Brock Purdy and has gone 3-1 in four starts, losing his first game to Mayfield and the Bucs, Sunday. Jones’ 93.7 QB rating is the best of his career.
It’s Always the Jets
9 Sacks, 82 yards
In Denver’s 13-11 win over the Jets in London the Broncos sacked New York QB Justin Fields nine times and allowed just 82 total yards. That’s the first time a team has recorded as many sacks and allowed that few yards since Buffalo did it in 2021 — against the Jets.
Denver’s nine sacks are the most the Broncos have had in one game since they had nine in 1996 — against the Jets.
I know him
While Fields was sacked nine times he also threw just nine completed passes. That’s the first time a quarterback has been sacked as many times or more than he completed passes since 2021 when Field was sacked nine times and completed six passes for the Bears in a loss to the Browns.
Good Bye
The Steelers 23-9 win over the Browns, Sunday, marked the ninth straight year Pittsburgh has won the week after its bye week. Under head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are 15-4 the week after the bye.
Lucky Number 27
In the Green Bay Packers three wins this season they have scored exactly 27 points. They beat Detroit, 27-13, Washington, 27-18 and Sunday beat Cincinnati, 27-18. In their one loss they were held to 13 by Cleveland and they tied Dallas, 40-40.
So you’re saying there’s a chance
Five teams — Baltimore. Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee and New Orleans — are all 1-5 to start the season. Since the current playoff format began in 1990, only three teams have made the playoffs after a 1-5 start. Washington did it in 2020; Indianapolis did it in 2018 and Kansas City did it in 2015.
