Carson Wentz will start at QB for the Vikings against the Chargers on Thursday night

After putting quarterback J.J. McCarthy through a morning workout on Tuesday and determining “he’s not there yet,” the Vikings will start Carson Wentz on Thursday night against the Chargers, head coach Kevin O’Connell said.

Max Brosmer will again be the backup and McCarthy will be the emergency third QB, as he was Sunday against the Eagles.

“If this was a Sunday game, maybe it would be a little bit of a different story,” O’Connell said. “We could push it throughout the week and see where he’s at towards the end of the week. But really [Tuesday] is a Friday, being 48 hours out from the game.”

Wentz will make his fifth Vikings start after joining the team on Aug. 24. He’s coming off his worst start, a 28-22 loss to the Eagles in which he had a season-low 62% completion rate while throwing two interceptions. He led one touchdown drive despite six trips to the Eagles’ red zone.

“There’s a couple times we shot ourselves in the foot, with penalties or different things,” Wentz said Tuesday.

He added: “I don’t think we handled it our best down there. ... It’s nothing earth-shattering, just some simple execution could’ve been better and made a difference in the game.”

O’Connell said McCarthy’s high right ankle sprain is still affecting him with some of the sudden movements he’d need to make to protect himself in a game. McCarthy returned to practice last week for the first time since sustaining the injury on Sept. 14.

“That’s where he still feels it. He doesn’t have the ability to do that pain-free,” O’Connell added. “We obviously risk setting him back, which would be very, very unfortunate with the time lost already, but also giving him the best chance to go out there and have success is ultimately what we’re what we’re looking for.”

McCarthy could have a chance to return against the Lions in Detroit on Nov. 2, O’Connell said. McCarthy said last week he was given medical opinions that gave him multiple recovery timelines, including up to six weeks.

“Now it’s not going to need to be something where he’s 130%,” O’Connell said. “Quite honestly, with this kind of injury, he’s got to work through some of that here late in the rehab stages, but it’s about his effectiveness and his ability to go out and do his job for 60 minutes without having any setbacks or making his job more difficult than it has to be.”

Wentz said he’s “feeling fine,” but is still dealing with a left shoulder injury suffered Oct. 5 against the Browns. Wentz said he’s using “every minute” before Thursday night to recover.

“Even while you’re traveling,” Wentz said. “You’re going through the game plan more than you normally would while you’re traveling, you’re still watching film the day of the game, which is usually a weird feeling.”

The Chargers defense, led by safety Derwin James, also ranks top 10 in passing yards allowed per game (192, eighth) and per play (6.1, ninth).

“I was in that division last year, so I got to see them twice,” said Wentz, who was with the Chiefs. “Lot of respect for the way they do things, honestly. They make it tough. They don’t do anything crazy, but what they do they do really sound.”

Wentz was asked how he’s looking at this opportunity knowing McCarthy is nearing a return.

“Mindset is to go win this game,” Wentz said. “I’m going to focus on the here and now. Don’t have a lot of time or energy to think beyond this one, quite frankly. Let the future take care of itself.”