This past offseason, the Minnesota Vikings had a chance to sign multiple quarterbacks, including Sam Darnold and Aaron Rodgers. Instead of choosing a veteran option, Minnesota showed confidence in its young second-year quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, naming him the starter.
After McCarthy was injured in the third quarter against the Falcons, he struggled and was ruled out for the following game against the Bengals. With no McCarthy, the Vikings started backup Carson Wentz, who had a solid game totaling 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-10 win.
In Week 4, in Dublin, the Vikings fell behind to the Pittsburgh Steelers, in large part due to Wentz’s two interceptions. Wentz helped stage a mighty comeback attempt, though, ultimately tallying 350 passing yards and two passing touchdowns to bring the Vikings to within three points of a victory.
Following this dominant win and solid performance by Wentz, fans are left wondering if Carson Wentz is a better fit for this offense than McCarthy. But if the Vikings are wise, they will bring McCarthy back as soon as he’s ready to go.
The Good and the Bad of Carson Wentz
The argument that Vikings fans have for Wentz is simple: He has the experience advantage over McCarthy for a team trying to contend now. Wentz is now in his 10th NFL season and has thrown for over 22,000 yards and 157 passing touchdowns in his career. Wentz has shown an ability over the course of his career to make big plays and hit tough throws down the field.
However, where Wentz falls short is his consistency; he is the kind of player who makes a beautiful throw down the sideline on one play, then throws a horrifyingly bad interception on the next. This struggle with consistency explains why Wentz is on his sixth team in the past six seasons.
The Argument For J.J. McCarthy
On the other hand, J.J. McCarthy lacks the experience that Wentz provides, as McCarthy has only played in two career games. Fan bashed McCarthy for his performances over his first two games, claiming he has only played one good quarter out of eight.
Although there is some truth in their claim, many overlook the fact that this one quarter was a historic performance. In that quarter, the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, McCarthy totaled three touchdowns, including two passing and one rushing, while also accounting for 101 total yards.
Another false argument that the media has made against McCarthy is that he has struggled with a stacked roster. While this would be true if the team were fully healthy, Minnesota has dealt with injuries and suspensions throughout the first three weeks of the season.
The most important of these losses is LT Christian Darrisaw, a top-five left tackle in the NFL. Darrisaw displayed his dominance in his Week 3 return, allowing zero pressures or sacks against one of the top edge rushers in the NFL in Trey Hendrickson. McCarthy surely would have benefited from this type of protection against the Falcons, where he was sacked six times and pressured 23 times.
Valuing Future Over Present Day
The most important thing that the Vikings need to take into consideration with this decision is valuing the development of their young QB over trying to steal a couple of wins in the upcoming weeks.
Wentz has played for six teams for a reason; he does not possess the traits that elevate a team into true title contention. As for McCarthy, his true potential is unknown, but if Minnesota wants to be a true contender, they need to find out what McCarthy’s ceiling is sooner rather than later.
If the Vikings can harness the type of talent J.J. McCarthy showed in the fourth quarter of Week 1, they may have found the franchise quarterback they have been searching for.
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