The QB Doesn’t Matter for Vikings Right Now
When J.J. McCarthy went down for the Minnesota Vikings, there was talk as to whether Carson Wentz could take this opportunity and run with it. He’s playing with arguably the most skilled group of position players he has ever taken the field with, and Kevin O’Connell is the quarterback whisperer. All of that may be true, but the quarterback position is the least of the problems right now.
The Minnesota Vikings haven’t gotten consistent quarterback play this year because the offensive line hasn’t remained healthy enough.
On Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carson Wentz completed 30-of-46 passes for 350 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was often able to find the open man, and there were plenty of chunk plays filtered in. His interceptions weren’t egregious, and tipped passes at the line of scrimmage are a common occurrence.
Vikings’ Focus Right Now Is Banged Up Offensive Line
By all measures, Wentz played a fine game statistically. The problem is that he never had a chance to compete and was often in unfavorable situations from the start.
With the offensive line ravaged by injury as it is, the quarterback is already behind the eight ball. Whether McCarthy was healthy or not, this current situation does not allow for a quarterback to find sustained success. When McCarthy was on the field, he was down one of the game’s best left tackles. Now that Wentz is under center, he, too, is dealing with a missing tackle and has added a center and guard to the injured list as well.
If the Vikings are going to find success while their expensive and overhauled offensive line is out, then the game plan has to look entirely different. Wentz took six sacks on Sunday because plays took too long to develop, and he didn’t have adequate time to make reads and get the football out. That has been a consistent problem when Minnesota’s offensive lines are bad, and while that wasn’t the intention, it’s currently the reality.
At this stage, it doesn’t matter whether Wentz performs and keeps McCarthy on the sideline or not. No matter who is quarterbacking this offense, they are starting with the deck stacked against them. It only further tilts the defense’s favor when the pass rush is top-tier, and Myles Garrett will now line up opposite them this weekend.
Quarterback issues have been part of the problem this season for Minnesota, but who is under center and how they perform is largely a byproduct of the ragtag bunch protecting them.
You must be logged in to post a comment.