Has Carson Wentz played well enough to force the Vikings to consider him as the long-term starter?
The Minnesota Vikings had their best game of the season this past weekend, blowing out the Minnesota Vikings 48-10 in a dominant performance on all fronts.
The Vikings defense impressed with five takeaways, including two touchdowns from cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. The run game flourished behind Jordan Mason, who had 116 yards and two touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry.
But quarterback Carson Wentz also looked impressive, throwing for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a very efficient performance as the starter. Wentz stepped in for starter J.J. McCarthy, who suffered an ankle sprain in Minnesota’s Week 2 loss, and looked the part. He spread the ball out to a variety of pass-catchers and averaged 8.7 yards per attempt, while recording zero turnovers.
Minnesota hasn’t seen clean quarterback play from McCarthy so far, as the second-year pro struggled to start the year, throwing for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions across two games. He’s missed open throws, held on to the football, and been accustomed to turnovers as the Vikings offense has struggled to get going.
Wentz is expected to start a second consecutive game this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, as McCarthy has already been ruled out with his ankle injury.
Should Wentz impress again, do the Vikings have a quarterback controversy on their hands?
Thus far, Wentz has had the best quarterback performance of any week for the Vikings. And he’s got a good opportunity ahead of him this weekend against a Steelers defense that ranks 26th in passing yards allowed per game, 24th in opponent passer rating allowed, and 28th in third down defense.
If he has two straight quality games, the Vikings may have to continue riding the hot hand, while allowing McCarthy to get fully healthy and develop on the sidelines. However, head coach Kevin O’Connell committed to quarterback development this offseason when letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency, and not bringing in much competition for McCarthy, anointing him the starter.
Quarterback development has been a big topic in the NFL recently, as teams have shied away from certain top draft picks, benching them early in their careers after poor play, rather than letting them grow through mistakes over multiple seasons.
McCarthy was a first-round pick just a year ago, and is essentially in his rookie season after missing all of last year with a torn ACL. He was a developmental option coming out of college, so this wasn’t unexpected, but he has not looked great to start the year with a high number of missed throws.
Minnesota is still a competitive team, going 14-3 a season ago and sporting one of the best defenses in the league to go with a quality offensive line, good weapons, and a potent run game. They may have a dilemma on their hands with another strong Wentz performance this weekend.
Category: General Sports
