Quarterback Carson Wentz will start his seventh game for the Minnesota Vikings since joining the team just days before the 2025 campaign began, with this one coming in primetime on “Monday Night Football” against the current Super Bowl-favorite Buffalo Bills.
Wentz has 105 games of experience in his career, including 100 starts (50-49-1), so even such a high profile game as the one Minnesota will host on Monday shouldn’t be anything that will shake the 11-year veteran. After head coach Kevin O’Connell named Wentz the starter for Week 9, the QB spoke with confidence about his mindset heading into the matchup.
“I feel very comfortable when I’m out there,” Wentz said, speaking specifically in the context of running O’Connell’s offense.
Said offense has traditionally worked best while featuring a big-armed, pocket-oriented QB. That helped the Vikings earn playoff spots with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold under center, as well as the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford as the quarterback and O’Connell serving as the offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay.
Justin Jefferson Spoke After Vikings Named Carson Wentz Starter Amid Kyler Murray’s Hamstring Issue
Some prominent analysts, namely Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, believe that Kyler Murray’s hamstring tightness is a smokescreen for the Vikings to make the switch to Wentz without embarrassing Murray, or admitting how wrong they’ve been about him to this point, by benching the two-time Pro Bowler outright.
Part of the fuel for that speculation was the decision by wide receiver Justin Jefferson not to speak to media members after the Vikings scored 15 points against the Detroit Lions in their first loss of the season, which came at Ford Field last Sunday. The wideout was also visibly annoyed on the sidelines during the fourth quarter.
Jefferson spoke with reporters on Thursday and offered an explanation of his recent choices and current feelings regarding Minnesota’s struggling offense.
“I never want to lose, no matter how the game goes for for myself,” Jefferson said, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. “I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to win that game, and we only hurt ourselves in multiple ways. So it’s just wanting better from the whole entire offense, especially.”
He also addressed Murray’s play directly.
“I feel like the plays that are there are plays that he’s capable of making,” Jefferson added. “We have confidence in him to go out there and be that guy that we need him and want him to be. It’s just executing our plays and coming ready to play.”
Carson Wentz Has Successfully Incorporated Justin Jefferson Across 7 Games Played Since Start of Last Season
Wentz tossed two TD passes to Jefferson in the team’s Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers following Murray’s first-quarter exit due to a concussion.
The entire offense was stuck in a slog during Wentz’s next start against the Chicago Bears on a wet day at Soldier Field. So while the numbers weren’t great for anyone, Minnesota did come away with a victory.
All told, Wentz has completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,492 yards, nine TDs and five INTs while playing for Minnesota. He is 3-3 as the starter, while the team is 4-3 in games that featured Wentz more heavily than any other quarterback.
Vikings QB Carson Wentz Comes With Strong Message After Replacing Kyler Murray