The Minnesota Vikings have had to rely on backup quarterback Carson Wentz to lead the franchise over the past five weeks after starter JJ McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The former second overall pick from nearly a decade ago will start again this evening against the Los Angeles Chargers, with McCarthy assuming the emergency third quarterback role for the second consecutive week.
With McCarthy once again active on game day but not serving as the starter or even the backup, questions have started to emerge about how the coaching staff truly views the opportunities their former first-round pick provides to win right now. However, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Vikings definitely plan to bring McCarthy back to the starting lineup once he is fully healthy, despite Wentz’s strong performances over the past month.
### Minnesota Vikings Wanted JJ McCarthy To Play On Thursday
Breer explains that the team ideally wanted the former national champion to start on Thursday, but McCarthy did not feel 100% healthy during practice.
“The hope was that everyone would walk away with McCarthy ready to roll on a short week against the Chargers,” Breer wrote on Thursday. “After going through the paces, McCarthy told the staff that the high ankle sprain he sustained in Week 2 against the Falcons wasn’t quite all the way back yet. The staff decided to err on the side of caution and hold McCarthy out for one more week, giving him 10 days of runway to prepare for a titanic Week 9 game against the Lions on Nov. 2 at Ford Field.”
“The expectation is that the extra rest will have McCarthy ready for the Vikings’ game against Detroit. Assuming he is prepared, the plan is to start him. The hope is that, by waiting, they’ll get a quarterback going out there with a head of steam and, more importantly, filled with confidence.”
### Vikings Set To Move Onto McCarthy When Fully Healthy
Wentz has gone 2-2 as a starter in 2025 and has shown play almost nearing the level he exhibited during his prime years in Philadelphia from 2017-2019. He has thrown for 1,072 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, with a 66.9% completion rate and a total quarterback rating of 89.3.
Although those numbers hardly blow anyone out of the water, they are well above average for a typical NFL second-stringer and far superior to the kind of production JJ McCarthy was putting up over the first two games of the season — which were also his first two career starts.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff want to be patient with their young signal caller. They understand that losing faith in a player who has had just two career starts is not typical behavior for high-level football organizations. Especially when McCarthy’s demotion comes in favor of a player like Wentz, who has exhibited exceptionally volatile play throughout his NFL career.
Perhaps McCarthy might benefit from another year of redshirting and taking in the game, but at this point, Minnesota will want to know what kind of player they are working with for the foreseeable future.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/minnesota-vikings/vikings-reveal-quarterback-plan-for-week-9-after-tnf-report/
