After a 2-0 start to the season, the hype was building faster than ever before for Carson Wentz. Given the fact that he was facing two historically weak teams in the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns in his first two tastes of real NFL action, no one was sure whether this guy is as good as he showed. But now, after he led his team to a massive 34-3 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the former North Dakota State QB has proven that he’s for real.

The Steelers have been one of the best defensive teams in the NFL every single season for as long as anyone can remember. On Sunday, Carson Wentz made Mike Tomlin’s experienced, talented defense look like it was a reserve unit.

The rookie quarterback outplayed his counterpart, 12-year veteran Ben Roethlisberger, by throwing an efficient 23 of 31 with two touchdowns, contrary to Roethlisberger’s 23 of 44 with one interception.

Wentz, who was confidently calling audibles like he had been in the league forever, showed how well-adjusted he is to the pro game.

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Another impressive part of the Eagles’ performance was their running game. The so-called “feature” back, Ryan Mathews, rushed for -5 yards on the day, but the likes of rookie Wendell Smallwood and former Heisman Trophy nominee Kenjon Barner stepped up and made big plays when they were needed. Additonally, Trey Burton and Brent Celek played solid games in the absence of star tight end Zach Ertz, getting 61 yards on three catches and 19 yards on two catches, respectively. The scores for Philly were runs by Smallwood and Barner, a 74-yard catch-and-run from Darren Sproles, and a grab on a crossing pattern by Jordan Matthews in the second quarter. Also, kicker Caleb Sturgis hit two field goals on two chances on the day.

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Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, star inside linebacker Ryan Shazier’s knee got banged up on the first play from scrimmage, and he was in and out of game thereafter, and when he was in the game, he was barely noticeable. Statistically, Antonio Brown had a great game as he caught 12 balls for 140 yards, but his catches mainly came when it was third and long and short of the first down marker or when it was too late to make a real impact on the final score.

Pittsburgh’s offensive line was overrun by the formidable pass rush that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has at his disposal. Fletcher Cox and Benny Logan dominated two top-tier linemen in Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro, while Brandon Graham, reborn after the switch from the 3-4 to the 4-3, dominated the right side of the Steelers’ offensive line, getting a sack and a fumble recovery.

DeAngelo Williams was eaten up all day by Cox, Logan, and Vinny Curry, taking eight carries for just 21 yards.

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Weather it was evading pressure, making plays out of nothing, or throwing beautiful balls in the perfect spot for his receivers, Carson Wentz looked mature beyond is years against an experienced Steelers defense.

The rookie always hit his men right between the numbers, and took risks that his predecessor, Sam Bradford, would not have taken. Wentz is looking like the favorite for Rookie of the Year, and if the 3-0 Eagles can keep up their stellar play, they could end up in a better spot at the end of the season than most fans and pundits predicted.