Carson Wentz threw his helmet and was choked back tears after a very rough outing against the Los Angeles Chargers, which saw the veteran sacked numerous times and play through shoulder pain
04:40 ET, 24 Oct 2025
Carson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts as he holds his arm after a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second quarter in the game at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California
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Carson Wentz had a rough outing against the Los Angeles Chargers on 'Thursday Night Football'(Image: Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Carson Wentz couldn't contain his emotions after a rough showing on 'Thursday Night Football,' which also saw Al Michaels make a correction live on air.
In the Minnesota Vikings' 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the veteran quarterback was subjected to a tough outing, being sacked five times, with each sack seemingly more forceful than the last. Throughout the night, Wentz also was spotted clutching his left arm, which was heavily covered with tape.
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It was clear the constant attacks had an effect on Wentz, with the signal caller spotted throwing his helmet on the sideline. It was just a microcosm of the night Minnesota had, with a call going against the team, leading to a 14-point swing.
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Along with throwing his helmet, cameras also showed the 32-year-old seemingly on the verge of tears as he attempted to maintain his composure in what had been a very rough showing up to that point. Overall, Wentz completed 15 of 27 pass attempts for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he was sacked five times.
Kirk Herbstreit, one of the announcers for the game, criticized Wentz for showing his emotions on the sideline, even with the game he had and the fact that the veteran was playing hurt. "You know, I understand, it's been obviously a rough night and he hadn't had a lot of help," he said [h/t Sports Illustrated].
"But to me, when you're the captain of the ship. You're the quarterback. You've got to hold some of that emotion in. And I know he's frustrated. And he's hurt. But it's Week 7. There's a long way to go and some of that's just raw emotion."
Carson Wentz #11 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts in pain on the ground after a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter in the game at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California
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The Los Angeles Chargers' defense made life difficult for Carson Wentz on Thursday(Image: Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
He added: "You know, Justin Jefferson does that, it's probably on SportsCenter. It's everywhere on social media. What's wrong with this guy? A quarterback does that, to me it's worse. Because like I said, you're the guy, you're the leader and you're the alpha."
After the game, Wentz spoke about what happened on the sideline and on the bench. "Yeah, I'm not proud of that," he told reporters after the loss in Los Angeles. "I apologize to the equipment guys for that one. But yeah, I was in a good amount of pain there."
Despite being in pain for most of the night, Wentz pushed back on the notion that he was too hurt to keep playing, believing his left shoulder injury did not impact his abilities. "I felt I could do my job," he continued. "I thought I could throw the ball.
"Thankfully, you don't need your left shoulder all that much to throw the football. So mechanically, throwing-wise, I felt like I could do everything I needed to."
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Regarding his outburst, Wentz also admitted: "There was natural frustration in there, too. But yeah, it was a tough second half, physically, for sure."
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell also addressed reporters regarding the decision to keep Wentz in the game despite the beating he had received and the injury he was playing through.
"I asked him multiple times where he was at and he said he was good and wanted to keep going," O'Connell said after the loss. "I know it did seem like he was in pain there a couple times, a few times.
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"Carson felt like he was healthy enough to keep playing and the medical team did as well."