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Pederson won't consider benching Wentz: 'That is a knee-jerk reaction'

Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Despite a disastrous start to the 2020 campaign, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is a long way from considering benching quarterback Carson Wentz.

"No, no. You don't go there," Pederson said on 94 WIP Sports Radio Monday, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks. "That is a knee-jerk reaction. That is a reaction to things that are sometimes, you know, the aura that is out there. That is not what we believe internally and we are going to continue to get better.

"Carson is our quarterback. We are going to get it fixed, he is going to get it fixed and you know, we got a long season - we are only a half-game out of first place for goodness sakes. The whole division right now is not playing very good football. So, we are not that far off."

Hampered by poor offensive line play, lack of continuity with his receivers, and questionable decision-making, Wentz has struggled mightily this season. He's completed just under 60% of his passes and currently leads the league with six interceptions through three contests.

Following two straight losses to open the year, Philadelphia's offense failed to find consistency against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, leading to a 23-23 tie.

Late in overtime, Pederson surprisingly punted the ball instead of attempting a 64-yard field goal for the win. Many questioned the decision, and the head coach admitted he would have completed the series differently looking back.

"I hate the fact that the game came down to that one play," he said, per WIP's Andrew Porter. "We should have won the game, probably in regulation looking back on it with some of the execution we had ... Fast forward to the end of the game, obviously (we were) well within Jake (Elliott)'s range - would have been fourth-and-7 at the time.

"But looking back on it, I would have probably gone the other way and maybe taken a shot down the field and put the ball up in the air," he added.

The 0-2-1 Eagles have a road date with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 before matching up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

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