Carson Wentz Named Vikings' Starter vs. Chargers, J.J. McCarthy to be Emergency QB

J.J. McCarthy will be sidelined yet another week.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Tuesday that Carson Wentz will serve as the starting quarterback for Thursday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, with Max Brosmer as the backup and McCarthy as the emergency third quarterback.

McCarthy, who is dealing with an ankle injury, went through on-field workouts Tuesday but is "just not there," per O'Connell.

Wentz, 32, has appeared in four games for the Vikings, throwing for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes and taking 14 sacks. The Vikings are 2-2 in his appearances.

Wentz's calling card remains the ability to extend the play and create opportunities downfield, but he also often bypasses an easy throw to try and hit a home run. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it leads to sacks or bad turnovers.

That was the case on Sunday, where his two interceptions were costly in a 28-22 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, with one returned for a touchdown.

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McCarthy, meanwhile, has only played two games for the Vikings since being the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, with injuries defining this early portion of his career.

He's getting closer to returning each week, with O'Connell saying he might have been able to return if Minnesota was playing on Sunday, not Thursday.

"It's been in some of the movements, the reactionary movements within the pocket, being able to use his athleticism to protect himself in the pocket, and then as he's able to work through progressions," the head coach told reporters when asked what he would need to see from McCarthy to put him back on the field. "I feel really good about the work we've done on his foundation of his fundamentals. That's been pretty evident through the work that he's done. And he's really been a commitment to doing that. It's really just about, hey, there's maybe a guy gets edged and I don't really know the movement I'm going to have to make. That's where he still feels it. He doesn't have the ability to do that pain-free. We obviously risk setting him back, which would be very, very unfortunate with the time lost already, but also giving him the best chance to go out there and have success is ultimately what we're what we're looking for."

On a short week, the Vikings will stick with Wentz. A Nov. 2 return for McCarthy against the Detroit Lions wouldn't be a surprise, however.