The Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback hijinks are at it again, as Carson Wentz will start Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears because Kyler Murray remains in the concussion protocol and J.J. McCarthy remains at the back of the depth chart.
Coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Murray, who suffered a concussion in the regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers, is still working his way back to health.
So, it’s Wentz time again.
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We say again because the Vikings had Wentz starting last season in Weeks 3 through 8 when then-starter McCarthy was out with an ankle injury.
Wentz went down in Week 8 and that, as much as McCarthy’s recovery, thrust the Vikings 2024 first-round back into the starting lineup.
And here we are again. With Wentz surprisingly being promoted from the No. 3 quarterback during training camp, to No. 2 ahead of McCarthy prior to last week’s opener, then to the starter on Sunday at Chicago.
And all the while, McCarthy remains on the bench despite having been involved in a competition for the starting job against Murray.
This all suggests things:
It shows the Vikings promoted Wentz because they thought he was more experienced than McCarthy, yes, but also better.
That becomes clear because, again, it is Wentz starting ahead of a healthy McCarthy this weekend.
It also suggests Wentz has an opportunity going forward.
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Wentz took over in the opener when Murray got knocked out of the game on the Vikings’ third possession of the game. Murray was down for a time but eventually walked into the team’s locker room for a concussion examination which came back positive.
The Vikings were trailing, 9-0, when Murray left and faced a 22-10 deficit with 2:08 left in the third quarter when Wentz threw a TD pass.
And then he threw another TD pass in the fourth quarter.
And the Vikings scored two other times as Wentz completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards with 3 TD passes and without a turnover.
So, Minny beat the rival Packers in dramatic comeback fashion.
O’Connell this week wasn’t going to reward Wentz’s role in that comeback win by benching him in favor of McCarthy.
But what if Wentz keeps playing well? What if he beats the Bears?
Would the coach bench the quarterback who helped his team get to 2-0 if Murray is ready to play in Week 3?
As ESPN noted, the starter change this week marks the 11th time the Vikings have flipped quarterbacks during a season in O’Connell’s five-year tenure.
Yeah, not good.
A majority of those moves came in situations similar to what the team is facing now: An injury to a starter.
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Last year, J.J. McCarthy started the first two games but injured his ankle and missed the next five games while Wentz played.
Wentz was then injured in Week 8 and that’s when McCarthy took his job back the following week. The Vikings had a 2-3 record with Wentz in the lineup.
If Wentz plays well and stays healthy and keeps winning, the question will loom: Does Murray get his job back even when he’s healthy?
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