The season is now over for one Viking quarterback, just in time as they get another back from the injured list.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Carson Wentz, who started the last five games while J.J. McCarthy recovered from a sprained ankle, will have season-ending shoulder surgery.
Wentz was in visible pain last Thursday during their blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He will go on injured reserved following surgery.
That means McCarthy, who appears to be ready to start again Sunday in Detroit, and rookie undrafted free agent Max Brosmer are the two Viking quarterbacks. For now. It's not yet known if the Vikings will try to add another veteran with the inexperienced pair the only QB's on the roster.
After a bumpy start put some holes in the plan, the blueprint all but disintegrated in a blowout to the Chargers on Thursday. Not only have the players and schemes on offense and defense failed to deliver, but they've had all of two games during which to test McCarthy.
“I told our team, ‘This is where we’re going to find out what we’re all about,'” coach Kevin O'Connell said after the 37-10 defeat that was the second worst in his four seasons.
After going 2-3 with Wentz, who played through a non-throwing shoulder injury that took plenty of hard hits during an increasingly painful night, McCarthy is line to return.
With the Vikings (3-4) currently in 12th place in the NFC, and last by two losses in their daunting division, even remarkable progress by McCarthy over the last 10 games might not be enough to get them in the playoffs.
"That's all a team effort,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said, “and we're just not doing enough.”
O'Connell said it was pretty clear on Thursday that Brosmer wasn't prepared to face the Chargers, at least until late in the game after the final score was pretty much settled, and that Wentz basically took one for the team.
"Carson's a veteran player, he understands some of our circumstances tonight," O'Connell did explain. "I think it's very difficult to ask a rookie to go in there for his first performance and you have to be kind of weathering it a little bit for the group. I I did think about that at different times in the game."