LONDON — Carson Wentz’s upper body looked like a Cold War map of Eastern Europe — lots of red, looking to spread. His left shoulder could have doubled as a stop sign.
He had just, with a flick of his wrist, made a large group of large men hug on the sideline, and now he was sitting in the corner of the Vikings locker room at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, looking like what no one could have known he would ever become:
A local folk hero.
Wentz, the high school and college star in North Dakota, had to play for the team he cheered for as a child, after his career looked as if it might be over, to become the endearing figure he never before was.
Wentz was an outstanding player in Philadelphia before a knee injury changed the arc of his career. He is playing for his sixth team in six seasons, a sign that either teams don’t want him around or he has been unwilling to give up on his dream of becoming a starter again.
Whatever happened before, Wentz has kept the Vikings’ season, and his career, alive the last three weeks. After his last-drive heroics and touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with 25 seconds remaining gave the Vikings a 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in London, he is 2-1 as a Vikings starter while earning praise for his leadership and toughness.
After praising the 32-year-old Wentz for just those traits, Vikings star Justin Jefferson noted, “He’s an older guy — no offense.”
No offense was exactly the Vikings’ problem for much of Sunday. They trailed the Browns 17-14 with 3:05 remaining and only one offensive line starter, right guard Will Fries, healthy enough to play against one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts.
