Analysis: Don’t panic yet, Vikings fans — Carson Wentz could be the NFL’s next surprise of the season

The Vikings are a bruised and battered mess that might be missing as many as nine starters on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Their 22-year-old quarterback of the future is, once again, stuck in park. Their defense can’t stop the run. Jordan Addison’s suspension has another week to go. And life as we were led to believe it would exist in Purple Nirvana 2025 is O-V-E-R after only two games.

Thanks for coming. See you at the draft in April.

Or …

“This is the NFL,” receiver Adam Thielen shrugged. “It’s not going to be perfect.”

This is the NFL. Four simple words that mean so much more when spoken by veterans who have experienced things like, let’s just say, backup Case Keenum going 11-2 en route to the NFC title game when all hope was lost after the Vikings’ 2017 season started 1-1 with a beatdown at Pittsburgh.

Mainly, those four words — “This is the NFL” — mean don’t give up. Don’t panic. At least not at 1-1 and five weeks shy of Halloween.

“Adversity,” said Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, “is an opportunity for growth.”

Or 32-year-old Carson Wentz, who not long ago was thinking he might never get another meaningful NFL snap yet finds himself getting goosebumps thinking about starting for the team he grew up rooting for at the Metrodome when his family made the 427-mile trek from Bismarck, N.D.

“I was the kid waving the towel; I was part of the ‘Skol’ chants,” said Wentz, whose 100th career start, including playoffs, will come as J.J. McCarthy nurses a right ankle sprain. “Running out of the tunnel this week will hit me a little bit different in a cool, surreal way.”

Zach Wentz, Carson’s brother, was loading his family into its car Thursday — getting ready to join the “dozens” of friends and family members who will attend Sunday’s game — when he mentioned how he and Carson have been talking about this Purple possibility for years. Years that have seen O’Connell lauded for working short-term magic with Joshua Dobbs in 2023 and celebrated as NFL Coach of the Year for the resurrection of Sam Darnold in 2024.

“I’ve talked to Carson the last three off-seasons about his career,” Zach said. “In the nicest way possible, I’ve asked him, ‘Why are you still playing?’ When you’re 24, 25, 26 and you’re bouncing around team to team, that’s one thing. But Carson has a wife, three kids. Now, he has another one on the way the first week of November. So, why?”

And?

The second overall pick of the Eagles in 2016, Wentz was 11-2 and among the NFL MVP front-runners when he tore the ACL in his left knee in 2017. So it was backup Nick Foles, not Wentz, who got to be the one who took down Tom Brady in the wildest shootout in Super Bowl history at U.S. Bank Stadium later that season.

“It’s a bummer what happened to J.J.,” Wentz said. “I’ve been there more times than I care to admit.”

Wentz’s career hasn’t been the same since that injury. It bottomed out in Philly in 2020 when he went 3-8-1. Wentz went 9-8 with the Colts in 2021, 2-5 with Washington in 2022, 1-0 when the Rams were resting starters in 2023 and 0-1 when the Chiefs were resting starters last year.

The Vikings’ woes through two games go deeper than McCarthy’s inexperience. Injuries along the offensive line — where the Vikings will be without center Ryan Kelly and backup left tackle Justin Skule on Sunday as they hope for the return of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw — have contributed to the league’s highest percentage of sacks allowed (21.95%), an NFL-low 12 first downs per game and an offense that’s averaging fewer yards (226) than every team except Tennessee, which starts a rookie quarterback, No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

Defensively, a proud unit also has been hampered by missed games from key players Harrison Smith (two games), Blake Cashman (one), Jeff Okudah (one) and Andrew Van Ginkel (one). It’s 31st in rushing yards allowed (168.5) and last week gave up 200 yards rushing for the first time since Week 2 of the 2023 season, Brian Flores’ second game as Vikings defensive coordinator.

“I think the talent level in the NFL is — minus the top 5% of the guys — fairly even,” Flores said. “That’s the message [this week]. The difference between a starter and a backup is opportunity.”

Of course, all eyes will be on Wentz to see what he does with his golden opportunity at a time when the Vikings are starved for a more seasoned hand at quarterback. Granted, Wentz has only been on the roster four weeks, but he has already been lauded inside team headquarters for his poise and how well he handled a third-down install practice when McCarthy was absent for the birth of his first child on the Thursday before the Falcons game.

One set of very interested eyes that are locked in on Wentz belong to arguably the best receiver on the planet, Justin Jefferson. Unlike others in the locker room, he wasn’t shy when asked what Wentz can add that McCarthy is unable to, having played only two NFL games.

“J.J.’s a new quarterback; he’s young, he’s still learning, still developing,” Jefferson said. “Carson has that veteran mentality. He kind of knows the coverages, where people are going to be at, where the ball should be at. It’s a little bit different mentality.

“Nothing on the downside of J.J. That’s just him learning the game and Carson being a part of the game for so long. That just comes with time. You can’t really rush that. … It’s just that development. Training your brain to really see the coverages and see the things you need to see before they even happen.”

So, Carson, are you ready?

“Physically, I feel great,” he said. “Mentally, I feel I’m in a good spot.

“I’ve seen the game from a lot of different lenses by now. So I’m confident and optimistic that that helps and pays off and I keep the chains moving, but we’ll see how it goes on Sunday.”

So will the horde of North Dakotans as they settle in after a familiar yet surreal pilgrimage.

“How many are coming?” Zach said. “I’m not quite sure, but it’s a lot, dozens. Carson got six tickets from the team and then worked the locker room for extras, but he hasn’t been there that long.

Expectations?

“Good question; I don’t know,” Zach said. “Personally, I think Carson is playing with house money at this point. I’m sure the coaches are telling him, ‘Trust your eyes and let it fly.’

“All I know is it’s a great opportunity and he’s not taking it for granted. We all can’t wait to see how it turns out.”