Washington Commanders @ Chicago Bears: Carson Wentz being made a 'scapegoat' after head coach Ron Rivera comments

The Washington Commanders travel to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night in the midst of a four-game losing streak and with serious questions being asked of their quarterback - even by their own head coach.

Carson Wentz arrived in Washington via trade from the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. He is averaging 278 pass yards per game so far this season, throwing 10 touchdowns to six interceptions. It's far from a dreadful stat line, yet the Commanders find themselves 1-4 through the first five weeks, losing four straight since an opening-weekend win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Head coach Ron Rivera, when asked earlier this week why other NFC East teams (all 4-1 or better) are ahead of Washington in the division at this point, he responded: "Quarterback.

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"The truth is this is a quarterback-driven league and if you look at the teams that have been able to have sustained success, they have been able to build it around a specific quarterback."

Rivera did add, however, that he had no regrets about the trade for Wentz despite the team's struggles and he has since apologised for his comments.

"No, I've got no regrets about that quarterback," he said. "I think our quarterback has done some good things. There's been a couple games that he struggled."

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"The way he performed [in defeat to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday], it just shows you what he's capable of and we chose him because we believe in him. We chose him because we looked at what we felt were things that pointed towards him."

Rivera later added: "I had a 'mea culpa' moment and I should know better.

"I created a little bit of a distraction and that's one thing that I try not to do, and it's one thing that I'm very aware of."

Wentz went 25-of-38 passing, throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns, along with one interception - including a 75-yard TD to Dyami Brown - as the Commanders went down 21-17 at home to the Titans on Sunday.

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The 29-year-old quarterback appeared content with his coach's explanation, telling reporters: "Coach addressed it, handled it.

"Coach is a very straightforward, up front guy. He addressed it in a team meeting, which I thought was really cool and what he meant by it all. I feel very confident.

"Nothing for me that I'm overly concerned about."

'Wentz is a scapegoat | Not the Commanders' No 1 problem

Wentz, the No 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, had five injury-affected seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before being traded to the Colts where he lasted only one year as the team failed to make the playoffs with a 9-8 record.

Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, reacting to Rivera's comments on Pro Football Talk (Sky Sports NFL, weekdays, 6pm), said: " I'm a little shocked, I really am. You're fuelling a narrative there.

"Maybe I'm missing something. There were issues with him in Philadelphia and we know there were issues in Indianapolis. Maybe that's still real? Maybe he's not a good locker room guy and good leader of your football team.

"But Carson Wentz is not this team's problem. Has he been perfect? No. But they have no offensive line, they get totally overrun constantly; they also can't run the football.

"And their defense isn't really worth a damn. They have five first-round draft picks in their front seven, but they can't get anything done and he's a defensive coach.

"I'm throwing the challenge flag on all of it. He [Wentz] is a scapegoat."

Simms added: "Good for him [Rivera] to recognise that he shouldn't have said that and addressed that with his team - that's the right thing to do. I'll give him credit.

"But, still, the damage was done. He opened the door a little bit for the 'let's pile on Wentz' conversation. And that's where it was wrong."

Wentz now has the opportunity to, crucially, get Washington back to winning ways on Thursday night against a 2-3 Bears outfit who have also had their struggles this season.

It has been confirmed that Wentz will start the game despite dealing with a biceps tendon strain near his throwing shoulder that raised questions about his availability on a short week.

The Commanders had Wentz down as a 'limited participant' in practice on Monday and Tuesday, but upgraded him to a 'full participant' on Wednesday, removing him from the final injury report.

Watch Washington Commanders at Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am Friday.