The 3-3 Minnesota Vikings are turning to veteran quarterback Carson Wentz to play the 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on “Thursday Night Football.”
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Wentz has started in the Vikings’ last four games, as McCarthy deals with an ankle he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. Wentz is also battling an injury to his shoulder, but Minnesota trusts the 32-year-old quarterback to lead the offense against rising Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, part of the calculus of naming Wentz the starter and rookie Max Brosmer as his backup in Week 8 is that the Vikings are concerned with McCarthy’s development. Minnesota is worried that its first-round pick in 2024 could lose confidence if the injury prevents him from performing 100 percent against Los Angeles.
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The Vikings plan to start McCarthy when they go on the road to play the Detroit Lions in Week 9.
“Assuming he is prepared, the plan is to start him,” Breer wrote. “And the hope is that, by waiting, they’ll get a quarterback going out there with a head of steam and, more important, filled with confidence.
“If McCarthy were 50 or 100 starts into his NFL career, the Vikings might’ve decided the best course would be to have him hobbling around out there against a Chargers team that’s going to be raring to break loose of the 1–3 rut it’s in. As it is, the chance he goes out there and aggravates the injury, and loses confidence, makes the idea of McCarthy playing not worth it.”
McCarthy missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus in his right knee that he suffered in the preseason. The former Michigan standout threw for 301 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first two games this season. He added 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
While the Vikings are giving McCarthy an extra week to play healthy in Week 9, the stakes will be high for the quarterback against the Lions. Breer suggested Minnesota will not hesitate to bench McCarthy if he does not play well.
“The other end of that deal, of course, is that the attached expectation will be that McCarthy does play well when he returns,” Breer wrote. “In other words, he’s able to summon what he did in the fourth quarter in Chicago in Week 1, and make the three or four plays that result in a win, rather than a loss.
“If he doesn’t, then the Vikings have Carson Wentz ready. It’s also why they tried to bring Darnold and Jones back; those guys left because they found opportunities to be long-term starting quarterbacks. Minnesota wants to give McCarthy plenty of runway to prove himself when he returns to the lineup, presumably next week. But he won’t have an endless rope to get it right.”
It’ll be interesting to see how much of a leash Minnesota gives McCarthy when he returns. Since he didn’t play in 2024, this is more of a rookie season for the 22-year-old quarterback.
However, the Vikings are worried about more than McCarthy’s development this season. Minnesota wants to return to the playoffs, and they don’t have a chance if their quarterback can only muster six points like McCarthy did against Atlanta.
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