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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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If it wasn’t clear before Thursday’s Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, it became painfully obvious after.
The Minnesota Vikings hung their heads as they trudged off the SoFi Stadium field following an embarrassing 37-10 defeat to the Chargers on “Thursday Night Football” likely with the realization that they aren’t a legitimate playoff contender with Carson Wentz under center.
Though Wentz has done a decent job filling in for injured starter J.J. McCarthy (he’s thrown for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions with a 2-3 record), the Vikings offense has been hit-or-miss.
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During Wentz’s five-week run as QB1, Minnesota’s offense is 21st in scoring (21.6 points per game) and 20th in yards per game (324.8) — and the Vikings have fallen to last place in the NFC North.
McCarthy has been sidelined ever since Week 2 when he suffered a high-ankle sprain, and Vikings fans have been seemingly asking every week when he would return to the lineup.
Weel, it appears they final got their answer as head coach Kevin O’Connell informed reporters after Thursday’s blowout loss, that McCarthy will start next week against the Detroit Lions, provided no issues come up during the week.
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“We worked out J.J. [before the Chargers game] and he was close,” O’Connell said, via Pro Football Talk. “J.J. and the medical staff kind of didn’t feel like he was there yet, but there was a lot of encouragement. … If J.J. is healthy [next week], J.J. will play. That’s been the case since the injury.
“That’s always been kind of my mindset. I believe we’re right, hopefully, around the corner from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation and go compete. That’s what he wants and that’s what he’s been working towards.”
While placing the team’s playoff hopes solely in the hands of McCarthy, a first-year starter with two starts under his belt, is as big of a gamble as any, McCarthy presents something that Wentz doesn’t: unpredictability.
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As this point in his career, Wentz is what he is — which is an average QB (he has a 49-49-1 record as a starter) with a big arm who can throw for 300 yards just as easily as he can throw three interceptions.
With McCarthy, who many believe has an incredibly high NFL ceiling, the Vikings don’t know what to expect on a week-to-week basis — and there’s lots of room for growth.
Minnesota is by no means out of playoff contention at 3-4, but with 10 games left—five of which are against divisional opponents—the Vikings have a far better shot winning games with McCarthy than Wentz.
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