The Minnesota Vikings are enjoying a much-needed bye week after a long two-week road trip overseas as they try to get back to 100% healthy.
One of the major injuries they have dealt with is to their young starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, as he recovers from a high ankle sprain that has kept him out for three games. Carson Wentz has been his replacement and has gone 2-1 as the starter.
In his two starts, McCarthy has thrown for 301 yards and two touchdowns to three interceptions, adding 50 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground. Nothing glamorous, but was able to go 1-1 as a starter.
Most predictions for when McCarthy would return to the field as the starter have pointed to the Week 7 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. While it appears to remain the intended plan, it may not be as easy a decision as some might think.
The Minnesota Vikings are facing a tough decision on whether to stick with Carson Wentz or let J.J. McCarthy start again at quarterback.
The Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer believes that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has what is being called “a lot to weigh” on the decision at quarterback. Krammer also mentions that the handoff to McCarthy returning as a starter is “not gonna look as clean.”
“If you are going to make this switch to McCarthy, it’s not gonna look as clean I wouldn’t think, because it didn’t in the first two games. I don’t think you can anticipate him picking up where Carson Wentz left off… Wentz is farther along as a QB, both maturity-wise, in terms of his fundamentals, being just more of a steady presence in that spot.”
Despite injuries at running back and on the offensive line, Wentz has actually performed well as the starter. He's completed 69% of his passes for 759 yards and five touchdowns to two interceptions in three games.
McCarthy did have his struggles through those first two games as he threw a pick-six in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. During his Week 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons, he was sacked six times, threw two interceptions, and completed only 52% of his passes.
Everyone has to remember that even though McCarthy is in his second year in the NFL, he's operating more like a rookie after sitting out last year with a meniscus injury. It's not going to be smooth with McCarthy, but he needs to go out there and learn to be successful in the future.
A high ankle sprain is nothing to mess with, but the Vikings have been way overly protective of McCarthy to the point that when it rained in London before the Cleveland Browns game, O'Connell didn't allow McCarthy to practice. The worry is that Minnesota will be too cautious and hinder McCarthy's development.
It may not be an easy decision, but the Vikings eventually need to take the bubble wrap off of McCarthy and let him do what he does best: sling the ball and lead his team to a win.