In an alternate universe, the fact that Carson Wentz took first-team reps while J.J. McCarthy missed practice in Week 2 to welcome his son into the world would have become a footnote.
Instead, it became a microcosm of the Minnesota Vikings’ chaotic season.
Wentz wouldn’t have become anything more than a feel-good story had McCarthy followed up his comeback victory in Chicago with a win over the Atlanta Falcons. However, McCarthy went 11 for 21 for 158 and two picks and suffered a high-ankle sprain.
The Vikings lost a winnable game over Atlanta, which finished 8-9 and fired their coach and general manager in the offseason. McCarthy, who had stayed healthy in college, wouldn’t play again until Week 9. The injury led some to believe Minnesota had shadow-benched him. More pertinently, missing so much time wouldn’t help his development.
However, McCarthy’s injury allowed Wentz to start for his childhood favorite team. In doing so, he became the first quarterback to start for six different teams in six years. Minnesota also had signed him in late August, meaning he would start against the Cincinnati Bengals a little less than a month after joining the Vikings.
Still, Kevin O’Connell said that how Wentz handled the first-team reps during McCarthy’s Week 2 absence gave him confidence he could run Minnesota’s offense effectively against the Bengals.
“You just kind of felt that poise and presence,” O’Connell said. “His ability to absorb all that and run the show was apparent to everybody. I was telling the team today, ‘You’ve got a guy who’s played at a really high level, played a lot of football, and ultimately I think is at a place in his career where you can tap into a lot of that.’”
Wentz’s performance against Cincinnati validated O’Connell’s praise. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, producing a season-high 129.8 passer rating.
“I told him when we took him out of the game,” O’Connell said, “I was the least surprised person in the whole building today that he was able to go out there and effectively run our offense.”
Those are relatively modest numbers, but Wentz and the offense didn’t have to do too much. Isaiah Rodgers and the defense led them to a 48-10 victory in Week 3.
Jake Browning is picked off by Isaiah Rodgers for a @Vikings Pick-6!
CINvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/4N3OaMpxdA
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
O’Connell could never turn Wentz into the quarterback the Philadelphia Eagles drafted second-overall to be their franchise leader. The question with Wentz was whether he could be a steady hand while McCarthy recovered. The Vikings still viewed McCarthy as their QB1. Wentz just had to give him a chance to bounce back from two inefficient games and a lingering high ankle sprain.
Wentz also had to do so during the soft spot in Minnesota’s schedule. The Vikings headed overseas to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin and the Cleveland Browns in London. However, those were beatable teams before they faced a gauntlet following the bye.
At the time, it felt like the Vikings had a chance if Wentz could get them to the bye at 4-1. McCarthy would take over if he were healthy. Otherwise, Wentz could help them navigate a difficult stretch against potential playoff teams.
However, things went haywire from there.
Wentz threw for 350 yards against the Steelers. But the Pittsburgh defense picked him off twice, and Wentz had trouble navigating Minnesota’s final possession because there wasn’t a play clock in the south end zone. Ultimately, he couldn’t lead the Vikings on a game-winning drive, and they lost a winnable game to the Steelers in Dublin.
The Vikings beat the Browns in London a week later. However, Wentz suffered a season-altering shoulder surgery when he didn’t slide trying to pick up a first down late in the first half.
McCarthy’s injury lingered past the bye, and Wentz started against the Philadelphia Eagles. He threw for 313 yards but had two crucial picks. Four days later, he fought through pain against the Los Angeles Chargers. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery shortly after.
It was a chaotic end to a discombobulated season. Looking back, it’s hard to know if Wentz would have played better with more time in training camp.
He could operate O’Connell’s offense at a base level. Justin Jefferson averaged 95.4 receiving yards with Wentz under center; Jordan Addison averaged 77.3. However, there were times Wentz bought himself time by scrambling outside the pocket, only to lose where the receivers were downfield.
Would Wentz have been better able to play off-schedule if he had more time practicing with his teammates in training camp? Would he have turned the ball over less with more mastery of the offense? Or is this just Carson Wentz chaos? Throwing the ball off his back foot on the run. Failing to slide. Tempting fate by throwing into double-coverage.
Carson Wentz remains a polarizing figure years removed from his time in Philadelphia. Kyler Murray presumably will be Minnesota’s starter next year. However, Wentz may have passed J.J. McCarthy on the depth chart. If the Vikings call Wentz into action while McCarthy develops, he may have an opportunity to answer some lingering questions from last year.