The Vikings Are About to Do the Thing
J.J. McCarthy will not factor into the Minnesota Vikings’ plans for the next two to four weeks. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, which sent the team’s season off the rails.
It’s a staple of Vikings football — for better or worse — and it’s on its way to a television screen near you, as early as Sunday.
But have no fear.
With Carson Wentz expected to start and a possibly quick hook to rookie Max Brosmer, the Vikings are about to start winning games. They always do this.
Vikings History Seeps Through, and the Team Will Probably Thrive Against All Odds
McCarthy on the shelf won’t prevent wins.
2024 Example with Christian Darrisaw
Most recently, left tackle Christian Darrisaw tore his ACL in a Thursday night game at the Los Angeles Rams. He still hasn’t returned.
Fearing doom, fans expected the worst for the team, even after general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for Cam Robinson as a decent replacement plan.
Like the adverse news to McCarthy, the loss of Darrisaw packed a heavy punch — to the gut — implying dread for a season when the team had otherwise thrived. So, what happened?
The moment Darrisaw hit injured reserve, Minnesota won nine consecutive games.
2023 Example with Justin Jefferson
Flash back now to 2023. Justin Jefferson injured his hamstring in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs as his team fell to 1-4 through five weeks of that campaign.
The team lost its best player, with no arguments from anybody — Minnesota was cooked, right?
Absolutely not. Kevin O’Connell and friends won their next five contests, setting the stage for a Wildcard postseason push that didn’t quite materialize because the team’s quarterbacking faltered. Still, the Vikings won five in a row sans their very best player.
It wouldn’t be strange one bit for the purple to get on a roll with Wentz. It should be anticipated, in fact.
2023 Example with Joshua Dobbs for 2 Games
Staying in the same 2023 campaign, Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles, which ended his career in the Twin Cities and prompted Adofo-Mensah to draft McCarthy six months later.
Unsurprisingly, the Vikings didn’t roll over and die that year, instead trading for quarterback Joshua Dobbs with the Arizona Cardinals.
Dobbs then delivered one of the most memorable two-game stretches in franchise history before the bottom fell out. The NFL made Dobbs the face of the business for those weeks, furthering the purple tendency to blast off with a reserve passer in the lineup.
Sometimes, the quarterback swap feels like clockwork in terms of immediate success.
2017 Example with Case Keenum
Don’t forget the granddaddy of them all.
In 2017, Minnesota lost Sam Bradford to generalized knee deterioration and rolled with Keenum the rest of the way. Keenum took a couple of weeks to find his footing, but once Bradford encountered the nail in the coffin — a Monday night game at Chicago — Keenum fully took over the QB1 job.
The result? A nine-game win streak that propelled Minnesota to the NFC Championship, with a Miracle finish over the New Orleans Saints to boot in the 2017 Divisional Playoffs.
This. Happens. All. The. Time. For. The. Vikings.
Penn Live on Wentz
Penn Live‘s Johnny McGonigal provided some Wentz history on Monday: “Ironically, Wentz signed with the Vikings last month after the Eagles traded for Minnesota backup quarterback Sam Howell. Howie Roseman acquired Howell to provide cover for Hurts while Tanner McKee, the team’s regular No. 2, recovered from a hand injury.”
“Wentz, 32, is now on his sixth NFL team in as many years. The former South Dakota State star was the Eagles’ No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He had his best season in 2017, finishing third in the MVP voting while throwing for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns in 13 games. However, Wentz suffered a knee injury against the Rams and missed the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl, engineered by backup quarterback and eventual fan favorite Nick Foles.”
Wentz played college ball at North Dakota State, meaning Vikings fans know him well because of geographic proximity.
McGonigal continued, “Roseman traded Wentz to the Colts prior to the 2021 season thanks to the emergence of Hurts, whom the Eagles selected in the second round of the 2020 draft. Wentz has since played for the Commanders (2022), Rams (2023) and Chiefs (2024). Wentz started one game against the Eagles when he was with Washington, completing 25 of 43 passes for 211 yards in a 24-8 defeat.”
“Wentz is slated to start the Vikings’ game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, who will be without star quarterback Joe Burrow due to injury. Perhaps McCarthy’s recovery will allow for another Wentz vs. Philadelphia matchup.”
Whether it’s Wentz or Brosmer — Brosmer could see action if Wentz, too, gets hurt or struggles — the Vikings are about to start winning games. It’s the Viking way.
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