PHILADELPHIA -- Quarterback Carson Wentz and receiver Jordan Matthews have been able to show off their joint touchdown celebration twice so far this season, including early in the second quarter Sunday during the Eagles' 34-3 romp of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They run up to each other, fake as if they're going to jump and bump in the air, stop dead in their tracks, act as if they're putting on ties and then politely shake hands.
"So we were thinking about something that kind of like represents both of us," Matthews explained afterward. "So whenever guys score touchdowns or something crazy happens, they always jump into each other, and they call that getting hyped or whatever. But with us, we want to play with each other for a long time, we feel like we work hard enough to where we should expect to have touchdowns, we should expect great things to happen. So every time I run up to him, we fake like we're about to jump into each other, nah, put the tie on, shake hands.
"Business as usual."
It's starting to feel that way with Wentz -- as much as it can after three weeks, anyway. Whether it was the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, when he was given eight days' notice that he'd be the starter; his first road test at Soldier Field the following week; or Sunday's tilt against the Super Bowl-hopeful Pittsburgh Steelers, Wentz has met the moment with an equal level of calm and command, using precision and patience to casually steer past whatever ditch was supposed to swallow him up.
Sunday's outing was his finest statistically; he completed 74 percent of his throws, eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the first time and tossed a pair of touchdowns.
“He played like a freakin’ Hall of Famer," said Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "I don’t know how many passes he missed, but he managed the game, got the ball to his receivers, got the ball to the running backs. We just have to get a lot better.”
Said Eagles receiver Josh Huff: "Continues to blow my mind away. The poise he has, the way he commands the huddle, all the guys are feeding [off] of him, he brings a ton of energy each and every day. ... He has the team with him right now, and that's one of the reasons we played so well today, we know we have a great quarterback."
The stats through three games: 66-of-102 (65 percent), 769 yards, 5 TDs, O INTs. Per the NFL database, Wentz is the first player in league history with 100-plus attempts, 60-plus completions, five-plus touchdowns and zero interceptions in his first three games. His 102 passes without an interception are the most ever to begin a season by a rookie QB, according to Elias Sports research.
Of all the telling numbers that came out of Sunday's win, this one might best explain Wentz's approach: Per ESPN Stats & Information research, 227 of his 301 passing yards came after the catch. That speaks to a quarterback who is 1) taking what the defense is giving him and 2) throwing an accurate ball that is allowing for plenty of yards after the catch.
It has been a winning approach so far.
"It's not about him. As good of a player as he is, it's not about him," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "It's about our team. And that's what we want it to be about. We want it to be about our team. And I think he really gets that.
"I think we all have a selfish streak in us, but I think he has a little bit less of a selfish streak than most people, and right now that's a good thing for us and it's a good thing for his leadership. I don't think he cares about stats. I think he cares about winning and protecting the football and doing what it takes to win football games. And that's a good thing."