Scoggins: Carson Wentz dishes out exactly what the Vikings need in his first start at QB

Kevin O’Connell used a basketball analogy to describe Carson Wentz’s debut in a Vikings uniform.

“He played point guard for us,” the coach said.

In basketball vernacular, Wentz played a solid floor game, more efficient than flashy, which is all the Vikings needed on a day when cornerback Isaiah Rodgers turned the team’s quarterback situation into a secondary discussion.

A 48-10 runaway win over the Cincinnati Bengals was so thorough that Wentz didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. He showed enough of a steady hand on the offense that O’Connell announced that he will get “another opportunity” next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin as J.J. McCarthy recovers from a high ankle sprain.

“I told him when we took him out of the game that I was the least surprised person in the whole building that he was able to go out there and effectively run our offense,” O’Connell said.

Wentz was understandably emotional before kickoff. He grew up in Bismarck, N.D., rooting for the Vikings, so “obviously being in the purple and gold means a little extra something to me,” he said.

Being able to start a meaningful game again felt personally rewarding as well after hopscotching from team to team as a backup. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to start a game for six different teams in six consecutive seasons.

“Once kickoff happened,” he said, “it felt like just a normal game out there.”

He guided the offense to points on the opening drive, capped by his 12-yard touchdown pass to Josh Oliver.

The point guard description explained his performance perfectly. His stats weren’t gaudy — 14 completions, 173 yards, two touchdowns — but he made smart decisions and showed command of the offense despite joining the team less than a month ago.

“He’s so smart,” O’Connell said. “He has an understanding of exactly who he is as a player.”

O’Connell said coaches were mindful of making Wentz feel comfortable when preparing the game plan given his limited time with the team. They even included a few new wrinkles that mesh with Wentz’s history to help that process. Wentz put everyone at ease by the authority he displayed in practice, telling O’Connell during one conversation about the game plan: “You fire away and let’s rock.”

The overall operation was far from clean. Wentz took three sacks and threw behind Jalen Nailor at the goal line on a third-down pass. A handful of false-start penalties by linemen short-circuited drives.

The positive takeaways, though, provide building blocks after two lousy offensive performances (minus one quarter in the season opener).

Christian Darrisaw’s return at left tackle fixed a major problem. Jordan Mason’s hard-charging running style allowed the offense to establish balance and find a rhythm. Both touchdown passes were caught by tight ends, one apiece by Oliver and T.J. Hockenson. And Jordan Addison returns from suspension this week.

Wentz’s job will remain the same. Play the role of point guard, a description he embraces.

“My job is one-two-three throw it and let [receivers] do the hard work,” he said. “That’s really the goal every time. I don’t want to be running around trying to make plays. It’s fun to see those guys come to life.”

Wentz’s veteran poise provides a security blanket that the organization was hopeful to find in a backup. His debut eased tension surrounding McCarthy’s injury and the offense’s struggles.

“All I can say is I had a blast out there,” Wentz said.