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When the Minnesota Vikings turned to Carson Wentz as their backup quarterback, they signed up for exactly what they’re getting. Nobody expected him to be playing this soon—or this long—but there’s a reason the Kansas City Chiefs let him go. When you need a backup to simply not lose games, Wentz isn’t always that guy.
Minnesota’s offensive line hasn’t done him any favors either. After spending big money this offseason to protect their quarterbacks, the Vikings’ front five has been a major disappointment. While we can point fingers at Wentz for Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, the line deserves their share of blame too.
But Wentz definitely made things worse.
PFF grades expose Wentz’s struggles as Vikings face QB dilemma
The silver lining? J.J. McCarthy won’t have to worry about losing his starting job when he returns from injury. PFF’s latest grades paint a brutal picture of Wentz’s performance, slapping him with a 56.4 overall grade after the Steelers game — one of the lowest marks on the team.
That’s just scratching the surface of his issues. Wentz earned a miserable 29.6 grade on throws under pressure, according to SI. Even more concerning? Both his interceptions came with a clean pocket. While the offensive line has struggled, Wentz is actually responsible for nearly 30% of his own pressures. That’s not on the line — that’s on him.
The Vikings are learning the hard way why he’s a backup and not a starter in this league. That magical 2017 version of Wentz is long gone. His first game looked good mostly because the defense carried the team. The real Wentz showed up in Dublin where, despite throwing for 350 yards, he was a major reason the Vikings took the L.
Are the Vikings facing a quarterback crisis?
If Wentz has been Minnesota’s best QB this season (which isn’t saying much), they’re in trouble. They clearly weren’t worried about quarterback play heading into the season. They rolled out the red carpet for McCarthy, who quickly came back down to earth before getting hurt. Now with McCarthy sidelined and Wentz struggling, they might be second-guessing letting Sam Darnold walk.
The Vikings didn’t want to pay Darnold top-quarterback money, which makes sense given how things played out. But would keeping him have been better than their current predicament? If Darnold got injured, they’d still have McCarthy as a backup — a much better option than what Wentz is giving them now.
The offensive line investments haven’t paid off yet, though it’s still early days. They addressed their interior line needs this offseason, and while the guards have been decent, not having Ryan Kelly available is killing them. Injuries happen, but their depth is being exposed. Still, while line play has been problematic, Wentz’s performance has been the bigger issue.
As a backup QB, you can’t be the reason your team loses games. That’s literally your one job. Right now, Wentz is failing that basic requirement, putting Minnesota in a terrible spot. They’re probably more desperate than ever to get McCarthy back under center.
McCarthy hasn’t been stellar either, but he’s their top option. Perhaps knowing Wentz isn’t good enough to take his job might give McCarthy the freedom to play more loosely when he returns. Wentz is playing without restrictions and the offense doesn’t look any worse for it. That could be the key to unlocking McCarthy’s potential post-injury and turning things around before the season slips away.
