NFL 2025 Week 9: What’s Next for the Vikings After Wentz’s Injury?
Regardless of how he felt this week, it was probably safe to say that Carson Wentz’s season was over after a crushing 10-37 loss in Week 8 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
Recent reports have made it official that Wentz was indeed playing through a brutal dislocated shoulder injury he suffered back in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, which was also notably the last game the Vikings won with Wentz at QB. Now that McCarthy can return for Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, Wentz has opted to undergo a season-ending shoulder surgery and officially end his painful on-field experience for the Vikings.
How the Vikings move forward
While fans and analysts alike questioned the decision to keep Wentz in the game during the beatdown by the Chargers, Head Coach Kevin O’Connell seemed to make it clear he wanted to protect his young QBs, Max Brosmer and J.J. McCarthy, from becoming victims of the slaughter. It led to painful grimaces and even a frustrated helmet throw on the sidelines from Wentz, but knowing Wentz was gritting it out to protect his younger counterparts also portrays him in a more heroic light than fans have been viewing him in. If the Vikings can turn their season around with a fully healthy McCarthy, his sacrifice may have been worth it.
Now that the Vikings can finally get McCarthy a full week of practice, he’ll be primed to take back over his role as the starting QB in Week 9’s divisional contest against the Lions. There are no excuses to hold him back from performing the best of his ability (except for some shaky offensive line play–but he had to deal with that in his first two games this season, too). Suppose McCarthy can channel his inspired energy from the 4th-quarter comeback against the Chicago Bears in Week 1. In that case, the Vikings can rout the heavily favored Lions and keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive.
If McCarthy fails, the Vikings should have no choice but to go looking for a veteran QB to compete with him. Even if McCarthy needs more time to develop into the star QB the Vikings hope he can become, a healthy competition wouldn’t hurt his development. The Vikings dropping to 3-5 would heavily hurt their chances of competing in the NFC North Division or even having a shot at securing a Wild Card spot. Their remaining schedule is likely to be a battle. Kirk Cousins continues to be floated as a rumor, though his cap nightmare of a contract and poor play as a temporary starter in Week 8 doesn’t inspire confidence in his ability to take the Vikings very far. Even so, perhaps he could be a worthy mentor for McCarthy if the Falcons decide to cut Cousins before the season ends.
A Lot Rests On This Week’s Results
How McCarthy performs in Week 9 will impact the Vikings’ hopes for the rest of the season. How he performs in any games after that will determine whether he sticks around in Minnesota past this season.
But hey, no pressure, right? This guy’s been a winner at every level. Even though he registered the NFL’s second-worst QBR this season across his first two starts, he has the closest thing to a reset button that he’ll get in the NFL. Win this week: Gain confidence and trust from coaches, teammates, and fans. Lose, and face the reality of the “draft bust” accusation being hurled out frequently. The outcome’s in McCarthy’s hands. Time to see what he does with it.