Eagles coach Doug Pederson won't bench Carson Wentz: 'You are sending the wrong message to your football team'

The Philadelphia Eagles may sit atop the NFC East standings but their season has been far from inspiring, including their loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Quarterback Carson Wentz once again struggled, turning the ball over twice (anyone who watched knows he's lucky it was only two turnovers) and causing some critics to begin calling for the Eagles to give Jalen Hurts a shot under center.

However, Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson said after the loss that he has no intention of benching Wentz, as he believes that would be signaling to his players that the team is essentially giving up on the season.

"I think you are sending the wrong message to your football team that the season is over. That is a bad message," Pederson said. "We have to work through this. When times get tough, sometimes that might be the easy thing to do."

Tight end Zac Ertz similarly expressed his confidence in Wentz, but at this point, it's tough not to wonder if the quarterback is more a part of the problem than the solution. While Wentz defenders will point to his near-MVP season as proof that he deserves more time, that was three years ago, and since then, his numbers have dropped in almost every category imaginable, except turnovers, which have continued to go up.

Fortunately for the Eagles, they play in a historically bad division and look like they may be playoff-bound despite their struggles. However, if the team wants to be taken seriously as a threat in the NFC, they may need to reconsider Wentz as the foundation of the franchise.