Eagles' Carson Wentz After Benching vs. Packers: 'I Have Never Doubted Myself'

Philadelphia Eagles star Carson Wentz maintains his self-confidence isn't in question despite making way for Jalen Hurts in Sunday's 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams shared Wentz's comments from his postgame press conference: "I know what I'm capable of. I know I can play better. I have never doubted myself or lost my confidence in my abilities."

Of note, in response to a report that he lost confidence after Hurts was drafted, Wentz said he's not looking over his shoulder at his rookie teammate:

"No. I'm not the type to worry about and look over my shoulder or any of those things. I think at the end of the day, I can play better. We can as a team, and as an offense especially, play better. There's always going to be different things going on in the building or different chatter and all of that stuff. That's part of this business. That's what I signed up for. The scrutiny, the challenges, the adversity, all of it. I've got to handle it all—the good, bad and the ugly."

When the Eagles selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft, they could plausibly argue at the time Hurts wasn't meant to replace Wentz but instead provide a new dimension to the offense. Fending off the calls to make Hurts the No. 1 guy have become more difficult as the 2020 season has unfolded, though.

If Wentz has allowed some doubt to creep in, then it would at least help explain why he has played so poorly. He went 6-of-15 for 79 yards Sunday and was sacked four times, bringing his season total to 50.

Sunday afternoon, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that some inside the Eagles organization "think he's lost his confidence."

The loss to the Packers will do little to dispel that notion.

Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters he hasn't yet decided on a starting quarterback for Philadelphia's Week 14 encounter with the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts clouded the situation a bit by playing reasonably well. He threw for 109 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 5-of-12 passing.

There's only one response Wentz can give when asked about his confidence level; especially in an unforgiving sports city like Philadelphia, he's toast the moment he says he's beginning to question his own abilities.

But Wentz right now simply isn't the player who reached the Pro Bowl and looked like a viable MVP contender in 2017. Each week is the same story, and Philadelphia has dropped four games in a row.

Despite sitting at 3-8-1, the Eagles still have a shot at winning the NFC East and reaching the playoffs. Pederson may have no choice at this point but to see whether the offense improves with Hurts at the helm.