Vikings Clear Up One Fat Mystery on Sunday
After the Minnesota Vikings announced that quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a high ankle sprain, a predictable narrative began in fans’ minds: What if Carson Wentz balls out? Will the Vikings eagerly return the baton to McCarthy?
The Minnesota Vikings won on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, and one lingering mystery found some resolution.
Minnesota responded by thumping the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday by 38 points, a 48-10, much-needed win at home. Along the way, McCarthy’s replacement, Carson Wentz, performed decently, but he didn’t set the world on fire enough to suggest that he’d keep the job indefinitely.
It became apparent against Cincinnati that Wentz was a game manager, and when McCarthy heals, he’ll take the snaps under center.
Carson Wentz Plays Well for Vikings, but Probably Not Well Enough for a Big Controversy
Wentz played cleanly and efficiently.
Carson Wentz Does Not Emphatically Nail Down QB1 Job
Wentz threw the football 20 times, completing 14 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s a commendable stat line for a backup quarterback, and Minnesota was lucky to have Wentz in the huddle in Week 3.
However, his 34.7 QBR was rather telling, and any semblance of the man being “too good to bench” really didn’t enter the discourse on Sunday. He played like a placeholder quarterback who will hand the QB1 job back to McCarthy when the time is right.
CBS Sports‘ Tracy Wolfson said, “I got a chance to speak with Kevin O’Connell, who said the plan for JJ McCarthy is to make the trip to Europe and continue to rehab there, and then they have the bye, and he will hopefully play Week 7.
“Now, I spoke with JJ before the game, and he told me the ankle feels great. He’s hoping to return to practice sooner than later. But he also knows that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and they need to be smart.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added that Wentz “has been operating as if he’s got the next two weeks as the starter, per source, with nothing promised beyond that.”
Don’t anticipate Wentz’s time to drag out as a quarterback controversy
A Debate? Maybe. But McCarthy’s Job
Of course, fans won’t be quiet if Minnesota wins three straight games with Wentz in the starting lineup. A large chunk will assuredly want Wentz to stay under center.
But based on how Minnesota trusts McCarthy’s maturation, plus its commitment to him for the long haul, the plan isn’t too mysterious. When McCarthy has the full green light, recovered from the high ankle sprain, he’s the guy.
Minnesota also has the option to massage the timeline if winning ways continue. That is — if McCarthy were mostly good to go in London by Week 5, the club would err on the side of caution by keeping Wentz in the lineup and allowing McCarthy two more weeks to heal with the bye in Week 6.
That would put McCarthy on tap for Week 7 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Importance of McCarthy’s Snaps
Failing to reinsert McCarthy when he’s ready would spell despair for his long-term development. Wentz already didn’t resemble much more than an average quarterback on Sunday against the Bengals, and in fact, McCarthy could probably provide a similar showing when he gets more comfortable with the speed of the NFL.
The man needs these snaps in the Vikings’ offense this season. The coaching staff knows that, and the franchise didn’t draft McCarthy just to turn around and hurl him into a quarterback debate involving Carson Wentz, of all people.
Wentz in Europe
For the time being, though, Wentz is the man to lead Minnesota into Ireland and England.
McCarthy’s high ankle sprain recovery timeline won’t be rushed, so Wentz is on deck for international duty. If his defense and running back plays as well overseas as they did at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, well, all Wentz has to do is avoid major screw-ups.
O’Connell already named Wentz as the starter in Week 4, and most expect a similar announcement after the Dublin game — win, lose, or draw.
Star Tribune on McCarthy, Wentz
Star Tribune‘s Michael Rand opined on the Vikings quarterback situation this week: “The long-term future of the quarterback position for the Vikings is not a mystery. It’s J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, the guy who started the first two games of this season before being temporarily shelved by a sprained ankle and the player to whom they have affixed Super Bowl dreams.”
“The present situation is not a mystery, either. Veteran Carson Wentz stepped in Sunday for an injured McCarthy and efficiently played a “point guard” version of the position, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell. Wentz generally made good and quick decisions while getting the ball in the hands of the Vikings’ playmakers in a 48-10 win over Cincinnati. There’s an in-between possibility where the Vikings continue winning but Wentz is exceedingly mediocre (or worse), which would make it far easier to turn things back to McCarthy when he’s healthy.”
It’s worth noting that Wentz has continued Kevin O’Connell’s popular reputation as a “quarterback whisperer.”
Rand continued, “Imagine, say, a couple of 13-10 wins aided mostly by the defense in these next two weeks. And of course if the Vikings drop any games during Wentz’s stint as starter, it would limit any conundrum. Complicating everything, of course, is the Vikings’ post-bye schedule.”
“It’s the hardest stretch of the season: vs. the Eagles, at the Chargers, at the Lions and vs. the Ravens. Those opponents will stress the Vikings’ defense in ways it won’t be challenged before the bye, and they will need to score points to keep up. It will be a difficult stretch for either Wentz or McCarthy. We’ll see how things play out leading up to it.”
Don’t overcomplicate it: it’s Wentz until McCarthy has healed, and McCarthy thereafter. This was always the plan.
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