The 2025 NFL season has gotten off to a solid start for Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings. Entering Week 4 NFL action against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they hold a 2-1 record.
Last week, despite not having starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings were able to dominate the Cincinnati Bengals by a final score of 48-10. Carson Wentz led the way for Minnesota while McCarthy recovers from an ankle injury. He looked the part of an NFL starting quarterback.
At one point, Wentz was one of the top up-and-coming stars at the quarterback position in the league. Unfortunately, injuries set back his career and he has become a journeyman backup over the last few seasons.
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With that being said, Wentz made a great impression on the Vikings and his head coach. O’Connell couldn’t hold back his praise for the veteran signal caller.
During an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” O’Connell spoke out with strong words about his quarterback.
“I’ve always been a fan of Carson’s, going back a long way,” O’Connell said. “I’ve always known about the player going back to evaluating him coming out of North Dakota State. Big, strong, smart. I think the game makes sense to him in a lot of ways.”
He continued on, giving more praise to Wentz and making some question whether or not the veteran quarterback has a chance to remain the team’s starter even when McCarthy gets back to full health.
“There was just a lot of Carson letting the game come to him, being really disciplined with his feet and his eyes and trusting in the system that we have here,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time we wanted to put together a plan that he was really comfortable with. I was really happy with the way he played.”
Throughout the course of the game against the Bengals, Wentz completed 14 of his 20 pass attempts for 173 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
It will be interesting to see what O’Connell chooses to do when McCarthy is ready to play again. While McCarthy wasn’t bad during his first two games, there were moments where it was obvious that he isn’t 100 percent ready to be an NFL starter.
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More than likely, Minnesota will turn back to McCarthy. But, that isn’t set in stone at this point. O’Connell is clearly a big fan of Wentz.
Next up for the Vikings will be a tough matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Wentz will get the start and could make things very interesting if he can put together another big-time performance to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 record.