The Wentz Plug Needed to Be Pulled
The Minnesota Vikings sent Carson Wentz out as their starter on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. J.J. McCarthy was deemed unready to start from both a health and preparedness perspective. It took entirely too long for Kevin O’Connell to make a change that could have saved the game.
Carson Wentz was terrible for the Vikings on Thursday night, and Kevin O’Connell sticking with him may have cost the team a win. Should’ve pulled the Wentz plug.
Carson Wentz has a bum left shoulder. That has been the case for weeks, and it keeps getting worse the more hits he takes. While it’s not his throwing arm, it could not have been more apparent that he was bothered against the Chargers. Virtually in tears on the sideline, and the game getting away from him, Minnesota kept pushing forward.
The Wentz Plug Was Not, in Fact, Pulled
In total, the Vikings had Wentz drop back 32 times. He went 15-of-27 for just 144 yards and a touchdown. He also threw another interception and took a whopping five sacks. The protection was not ideal with Christian Darrisaw on the sidelines, but Wentz constantly took his time and got bludgeoned for it. He failed to get the ball out and couldn’t work through his progressions quickly.
Despite Los Angeles allowing the Vikings to stay, O’Connell kept putting Minnesota in bad spots by playing a quarterback who couldn’t compete. The 37-10 result was bad, but hardly indicative of how truly non-competitive the game was.
It wasn’t until the final drive of the game that Max Brosmer was finally given a chance to compete. The undrafted rookie from Minnesota completed 3-of-4 passes for 13 yards and tried to provide the offense with some life. Of course, by then the game was already decided.
As was the case against the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota lost the contest within the first two quarters. Wentz looked inept, incapable, and injured. Regardless of the signs being presented to him, head coach Kevin O’Connell continued to dig his head into the sand.
The talk thus far this season has been about Wentz and McCarthy. While the young first-rounder hasn’t been able to go, the focus should have shifted to seeing what Brosmer can do. Wentz has a long history of failing to meet expectations in the league, and his limitations have been on full display for weeks. Adding in a level of injury only makes things worse.
Brosmer was never going to start on Thursday night, but pulling the plug early potentially could have saved another sad result. O’Connell wasn’t interested in that, though, and he got what he deserved.
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