The timeline of J.J. McCarthy’s ankle injury became more complicated when the Vikings returned to Minnesota for a bye week and still couldn’t get him back on the field over the course of two weeks at something very close to 100% for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That made Carson Wentz the starter for a fourth straight game, with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer the No. 2 and McCarthy only deemed ready to be the emergency No. 3 QB. With a short week and a Thursday game at the L.A. Chargers to follow, logic dictated that it would be Wentz for that game as well.
Before Sunday, my thought given all that was this: What if Wentz plays really well and wins both of those games? The Vikings would be 5-2 at that point, including 4-1 (with three victories in a row) with the veteran Wentz at QB. Could you really go back to McCarthy, even if fully healthy, after that?
My wise friend Drew Magary, a tried-and-true Vikings fan, responded to my text late last week spelling out that scenario with this: “That’s a problem for later.”
Indeed. Or, more aptly after Sunday: question erased. The Vikings didn’t win against the Eagles, and Wentz made enough gaffes to remind us of exactly who he is: a clear backup and placeholder, someone who has helped at least keep the season afloat but not someone who is going to take the Vikings on some sort of magical journey.
As Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast, the Vikings’ 28-22 loss to the Eagles reinforced this: For multiple reasons, McCarthy is 100% the QB when he’s healthy.
Let’s get into specifics at the start of today’s 10 things to know:
- Wentz had a Total QBR of 46.3 on Sunday, per ESPN. That’s roughly in line with his season mark (43.1), which ranks No. 25 out of 33 quarterbacks. He’s played capably at times, but on balance he is giving the Vikings below-average quarterback play.
- His interceptions on back-to-back drives Sunday were killers. The pick-six put the Eagles up 14-3. The Vikings never led in the game, and they were chasing those points for the rest of the game.
- Beyond the obvious misses were more subtle ones. Here are two plays of note: Missing a wide-open Jordan Addison on a short pass in the flat for what could have been a touchdown on the Vikings’ opening drive (the play just before a botched snap ended all hopes of a TD). And a silly intentional grounding penalty on the opening drive of the third quarter that stalled another drive. Analyst Greg Olsen was incredulous on that grounding play, saying, “Just throw the ball to C.J. Ham. He’s wide open,” while play-by-play partner Adam Amin followed with this: “That’s a surprising play for someone who has played as much football as Carson Wentz. … There have been some very questionable plays from Wentz today.”
- Loyal reader Tom in Fergus Falls pointed out this in an email: “Carson Wentz was so close to having three TD passes against the Eagles: One pass dropped by Jefferson who admitted he should have caught the ball for a TD; the TD pass to Hockenson overruled; and the TD pass to Nailor called back due to a Vikings penalty. These TD passes would have overshadowed his mistakes during the game.”
- That is true, but this is also true: Wentz is a mixed bag. He’s not Sam Darnold last year. He might start again Thursday on a short week because it’s hard to imagine McCarthy being deemed ready four days after being the emergency QB, but there’s no more brewing debate with Wentz. This is McCarthy’s job as soon as he’s ready again.
- What about Max Brosmer as an option Thursday? Judd Zulgad thinks the Vikings should consider it. But unless Wentz is hurt, I highly doubt the Vikings would do that.
- The Vikings won the turnover battle 5-0 in their romp over the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this season. In their five other games, they are minus-9 (11 giveaways, two takeaways) and have lost the turnover battle 2-0 in each of their last three games.
- We’ll break down the Vikings film on Tuesday’s podcast with Andrew Krammer.
- The Vikings weren’t the only team getting in their own way Sunday. The Arizona Cardinals mangled a good chance to upset the Green Bay Packers by trying a QB sneak on fourth-and-a-long-1 from midfield with six minutes left. They were stuffed, and the Packers predictably took the ball and scored to get the win.
- Don’t worry, Reusse and I talked about the Gophers football team plenty on Monday’s show as well. Reusse, a noted Gophers enthusiast, called their win over Nebraska the most impressive performance he has seen from P.J. Fleck’s team in years.
