INDIANAPOLIS — Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo further evaluation on his right ankle after injuring it in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Wentz suffered the injury when he tried to scramble and was taken to the ground by Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald on third down with less than eight minutes left in the game. Replays showed Wentz’s right ankle severely twisting as he went down. He said he could feel it twisting under the pile right away. Wentz was slow to get up and then limped to the sideline.
“He rolled it up pretty bad,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “I had a sense when he walked off the field. It didn’t look good. Sometimes if you go back in right away when it’s still warm you can maybe gut out a few more plays. The longer we were off the field, it stiffened up and he tried, but there was no chance.”
Wentz was clearly frustrated while the training staff tended to his ankle. He threw his helmet at one point. Wentz didn’t return to the game, as second-year quarterback Jacob Eason played the Colts’ final two series. Eason threw an interception on his second pass attempt after entering the game.
“Felt it right away. Tried to tape it up and do everything I could to finish the game,” Wentz said. “… I’ve sprained my ankle probably 100 times since I was a kid. This one I just couldn’t play on it.”
Injuries have been a significant part of Wentz’s career. He has played a full season just twice in the first five years of his NFL career. His most serious injury was a torn ACL suffered late in the 2017 season, also against the Rams. Wentz missed three weeks of training camp this year after undergoing left foot surgery on Aug. 2. Eason took the majority of the first-team snaps in Wentz’s absence. He’ll likely start against Tennessee in Week 3 if Wentz is out for an extended period of time.
The belief was that Wentz, who the Colts acquired from Philadelphia during the offseason, would have an opportunity to stay healthy while playing behind what had been a good offensive line in previous seasons. Wentz is 45-of-69 for 498 yards with three touchdowns and an interception while showing a knack for being able to extend plays with his feet this season. At the same time, though, he has also been hit way too many times. Wentz has been sacked six times and hit an additional 21 times through the first two games.
“When you have a running quarterback who gets hurt, everybody says, there you go,” Reich said. “Half the quarterbacks around the league play like Carson plays, extending plays. Trying to do things like that. I’m encouraged with how he’s playing.”
The Colts, who are 0-2 for the first time under Reich, are about to start a three-game road trip. Indianapolis hasn’t started a season 0-3 since 2011.