Vikings remain mum on starting QB, but J.J. McCarthy says his injured ankle is ‘not 100 percent’

Coach Kevin O’Connell is still not ready to name the Vikings’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Eagles.

Asked again on Wednesday, O’Connell said the situation “stands in the same place” as Monday, when he also did not name a starter between quarterbacks Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy.

How will you divide practice snaps?

“They’re both going to get reps,” O’Connell said, “and very much looking forward to our whole team getting back out there.”

Reporters are not allowed to observe team drills, but during the roughly 15-minute open portion of Wednesday’s practice, Wentz worked almost exclusively with center Blake Brandel in snapping drills. McCarthy, who has missed the last three games, mostly took snaps in a rotation with linemen Michael Jurgens and Joe Huber.

Both quarterbacks are practicing through injuries.

Wentz was a full participant on Wednesday while dealing with a sore left non-throwing shoulder after the Oct. 5 win against the Browns in London.

He’s about 4½ weeks removed from the Sept. 14 injury. His reps were limited on Wednesday, when he practiced for just the second time since his last start.

“We’re still in that [six-week] range,” McCarthy said. “It’s an unfortunate, really annoying injury.”

McCarthy’s first full-team practice came Monday, a bonus session coming off the bye week. McCarthy did say he’s taken “some scout-team reps” that have helped him regain a feel in the pocket. O’Connell said the biggest thing is just seeing McCarthy out at practice again.

“Getting real, live reps of a pass rush, and taking drops and applying some of the things he’s worked really hard on as of late,” O’Connell said.

McCarthy needs more practice time, the coach added, to build consistency with fundamentals like footwork. Much of McCarthy’s time in Minnesota so far has been spent on the sideline. He has missed 20 of 22 regular season games due to injury.

“He’s been here,” O’Connell said, “but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s been on the grass, practicing, doing the things that help you build a layer of consistency where you can not only take it to the game with you but then the ebbs and flows of the position, whether it’s the pocket breaking down or maybe it’s once the injury happened being firm on that back foot. What the combination of a lot of those experiences can do to your fundamentals is a very, very normal thing for a young player.”

McCarthy said fine-tuning mechanics will be a “seesaw” for his entire career. With each step, he’s also trying to regain comfort in his right ankle, or his plant foot as a right-handed passer.

“Making sure we put it in a situation where it’s like, ‘Oh, I felt that,’” McCarthy said, “and I know I’m fine after feeling that, so it’s constantly kind of pressing that bandwidth of pain tolerance and mobility of that muscle, joint, whatever it is you’re trying to heal up.”

O’Connell said he and Wentz “haven’t really talked about” him facing the Eagles, who drafted the quarterback at No. 2 overall in 2016.

Wentz — the Bismarck, N.D., native and two-time NCAA FCS national champion at North Dakota State — saw his five-year run with the Eagles peak in 2017. He was in MVP discussions during a 10-2 start before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Eagles’ 11th win.

Five years and five teams later, Wentz could face his former team for the second time. He lost his only other start against the Eagles, 24-8, with the Commanders in 2022.

Wentz, 32, said that his Eagles tenure feels like “multiple lifetimes ago” and that he’s only grateful for his time in Philadelphia.

“Maybe earlier in my career I would’ve had a different feeling,” said Wentz, who topped 3,000 passing yards in four straight Eagles seasons. “But you look over there and I’m not even sure there’s anybody on the defensive side that I’ve played with.”

The Eagles return to U.S. Bank Stadium off another Super Bowl title, but the shine has worn off last year’s championship defense. Philadelphia ranks 19th in points allowed and 21st in yardage allowed. Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith, who had four sacks in their playoff run, is on injured reserve.

Last week they lost 34-17 to rookie Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart in his third NFL start. Dart completed 17 of 25 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. On the opening drive, Dart converted a long third down with a 34-yard jump ball over Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo, who could play a larger role against the Vikings if cornerback Quinyon Mitchell is out due to a hamstring injury.

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips still found two big causes for concern: the Eagles’ 336-pound defensive tackle Jordan Davis and his 314-pound teammate Jalen Carter, who did not play against the Giants due to a heel injury.

“Vic Fangio’s always been an excellent coordinator,” Phillips said. “Obviously, those two interior defensive tackles are different: size, explosiveness. Those guys have been big factors.”

Wentz successfully navigated a tough defensive front while leading the game-winning drive against the Browns.

In three starts, he has averaged 253 passing yards per game while completing nearly 70% of his passes, throwing five touchdowns to two interceptions.

Wentz hasn’t elevated the third-down offense, which ranks 30th and hovers around 30% with both Wentz and McCarthy. But he’s produced on early downs and moved the chains. The offense has reached over 20 first downs in each of his starts.