Carson Wentz's injury has thrown the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback situation into chaos, but coach Kevin O'Connell made a smart decision by sitting second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy due to the risk of injury to both McCarthy and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Wentz, who suffered a torn labrum and fractured socket in his left shoulder during a game against the Cleveland Browns last month, was still able to play despite being injured, but O'Connell ultimately decided that it wasn't worth risking further harm to either of the two young quarterbacks. By not starting McCarthy in place of Wentz, the Vikings are now giving McCarthy a chance to get some playing time and gain valuable experience.
McCarthy, who has only played 122 regular-season snaps and thrown 49 NFL passes, is expected to start Sunday against the Detroit Lions, with Brosmer serving as his backup. The Vikings will likely sign a third quarterback to round out their depth chart, but for now, it's McCarthy's chance to prove himself.
The situation raises questions about whether McCarthy has what it takes to be the Vikings' starter in the future. He had a rough start to his season, with QBR of just 20.3 in two games, and will need to demonstrate significant improvement over the next two months if he wants to enter 2026 as the team's unquestioned starter.
The Vikings may have underestimated their roster this season, but they're still giving McCarthy a fair chance to show what he can do. If he stays healthy, he'll have 10 games to prove himself and determine whether he's the quarterback of the future for Minnesota.
Wentz, who suffered a torn labrum and fractured socket in his left shoulder during a game against the Cleveland Browns last month, was still able to play despite being injured, but O'Connell ultimately decided that it wasn't worth risking further harm to either of the two young quarterbacks. By not starting McCarthy in place of Wentz, the Vikings are now giving McCarthy a chance to get some playing time and gain valuable experience.
McCarthy, who has only played 122 regular-season snaps and thrown 49 NFL passes, is expected to start Sunday against the Detroit Lions, with Brosmer serving as his backup. The Vikings will likely sign a third quarterback to round out their depth chart, but for now, it's McCarthy's chance to prove himself.
The situation raises questions about whether McCarthy has what it takes to be the Vikings' starter in the future. He had a rough start to his season, with QBR of just 20.3 in two games, and will need to demonstrate significant improvement over the next two months if he wants to enter 2026 as the team's unquestioned starter.
The Vikings may have underestimated their roster this season, but they're still giving McCarthy a fair chance to show what he can do. If he stays healthy, he'll have 10 games to prove himself and determine whether he's the quarterback of the future for Minnesota.
... on one hand, it's awesome that kevin o'connell is thinking about the bigger picture and wanting to help him develop, but on the other hand, 10 games might not be enough for him to prove himself if he can't step up his game 
... i mean, wentz was still throwing with an injured shoulder and he's one of the more experienced QBs in the league... mccarthy is like the rookie with a lot on his shoulders 
... but at the same time, it's better to give him some playing time now rather than later, so maybe this will be a wake-up call for him 
... what do u guys think tho? 
... like, I remember watching Brett Favre play back in the day and he just took so many hits but always managed to get back up and keep going 
. Anyway, J.J. McCarthy's got some big shoes to fill after Carson Wentz went down... I'm not sure if he'll be able to prove himself as the starter in 2026 
. Maybe he'll surprise us like Russell Wilson did when he took over for Tarvaris Jackson 
... wentz is all messed up rn 
but its cool that mccarthy gets to play n gain exp! 20.3 qbr in two games is pretty rough tho.. he needs 2 step it up 4 real 
. i think kevin o'connell made the right call by not starting mccarthy 2 soon tho, we dont want him gettin hurt like wentz did last month 
. its cool that they're givin mccarthy a chance 2 shine, but he's gotta step up his game 4 sure! 
He's gotta show what he's made of after that rough start 
. 122 regular-season snaps is nothing, but at least he'll get to play some meaningful games now 
... I hope the kid can live up to the hype! 
... like, we've all been wondering how his career would play out, right? 
and yeah, 10 games is def a good amount of time for him to show what he's got 
... hope he takes advantage of this second chance 
he got this chance to shine and it's awesome that Coach O'Connell is giving him a shot! McCarthy has the potential to be an amazing QB and it's cool that the Vikings are investing in him 
. Playing him now will only add to his injury history and may stunt his growth as a QB. And what's with not giving Wentz more time off? The guy's got an injury and the coach still thinks it's okay to put him back in? 
Either way, I guess we'll see if McCarthy can step up and lead the team to victory... but I'm not holding my breath 
.