North Dakota’s Carson Wentz prepares for first start for the team he cheered on as a kid

Quarterback Carson Wentz will become the first passer in NFL history to start for six different teams across six consecutive seasons when he’s under center for the Vikings on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“It sounds crazy when you say that,” Wentz said Wednesday. “It’s definitely given me a different perspective going from being a starter, being traded, cut, all the things and being a backup the last two years behind some future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. ... Also just the perspective of not taking this for granted. You never know when your next chance will be in this league.”

Wentz will replace injured starter J.J. McCarthy, who is in a walking boot due to an ankle sprain suffered against the Falcons. He’ll make his 96th career NFL start on Sunday, exactly four weeks after he signed with the Vikings as a backup option when the team decided to move on from Sam Howell.

As Vikings fans wait to see what Wentz can do, he’ll have a devoted cheering section ready at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Wentz, the former North Dakota State star, grew up a Vikings fan, attending games at the Metrodome and watching from his home in Bismarck, N.D.

“Believe it or not, my family was already planning to come,” Wentz said. “Now there’s even more coming. Everybody’s pretty excited. You never wish for injuries, but just the way this has happened to get a chance for the team I grew up cheering for, close to home, all those things.”

The Vikings offense needs more from an aerial attack that has produced just 254 passing yards, marking the lowest passing production in back-to-back games of coach Kevin O’Connell’s tenure.

“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.’”

O’Connell added he hopes to see “consistent success,” which is “what our whole team needs right now.”

The Vikings’ 254 passing yards over two games unseated the previous low under O’Connell in 2023, when the offense produced just 268 yards over back-to-back games against the Bears and Raiders; the latter game got quarterback Josh Dobbs benched.

The Vikings started four quarterbacks that season, beginning when quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles midseason. They began with an 0-3 record and eventually clawed their way to 7-6.

“It taught me that we’re very much capable of handling the circumstances,” O’Connell said. “Adversity is an opportunity.”

“It’s been a couple years since I’ve had a meaningful start,” Wentz said. “I’ve been staying ready behind the scenes, doing whatever I can. It’s been fast paced trying to learn the offense and learn these guys.”

“Physically, I feel great,” he added. “Mentally, I feel I’m in a good spot. Coaches have done a great job helping me try to grasp this as quick as I can.”

Right tackle Brian O’Neill pointed to Wentz’s experience as a catalyst for getting him ready to play on short notice.

“He’s been able to pick up on the offense quickly,” O’Neill said. “There’s only so many concepts in football and he’s run them all. It’s just a matter of figuring out the right language that goes with those concepts.”

As a learner, Wentz is a “big walk-through guy,” said quarterback Max Brosmer, who is now the No. 2 passer entering his third NFL game. Newly acquired quarterback Desmond Ridder will be the emergency No. 3 option on Sunday, according to O’Connell.

“He’ll go out there and bring me along with him,” Brosmer said. “We’ll do walk-throughs together, and that’s really big: visualizing the play when you’re not getting a lot of [practice] reps.”

“How he talks through plays and how he visualizes plays,” Brosmer added. “It’s something I pride myself on, and then you see Carson doing it better.”

How could the Vikings offense change around Wentz?

Coordinator Wes Phillips said one area coaches have discussed is implementing a quicker passing game. Through two weeks, McCarthy’s 3.08-second average time to throw ranked as the 27th-fastest in the league.

Conversely, Wentz has a 2.72-second average time to throw in his career, which would rank 11th in this young season, per Pro Football Focus. Wentz also got his start in the NFL with an Eagles offense that routinely got the ball out of his hands in 2.6 to 2.7 seconds through a system heavy in run-pass options.

“It’s hard to not have those thoughts,” he said. “At the same time, when they come, it’s one of those things where I try not to think too futuristic and just be where I’m at, be grateful for the opportunity at hand. Not put too much pressure on myself, but not take it for granted either.”

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