The Minnesota Vikings are rolling with QB Carson Wentz tonight against the Buffalo Bills.
Kyler Murray is being held out of the game with what the team is calling a “sore hamstring.” Accusations flew immediately that this was a “soft benching” of Murray by the team, but that is purely speculation.
The reality is that no matter what, we will be seeing Wentz attempt to lead the Vikings to victory on Monday. There’s hope that Wentz will ignite a spark in the disappointing offense, but time will tell.
This will be the second consecutive year of true QB uncertainty in the Twin Cities. The Vikings also faced some uncertainty in 2023 after Kirk Cousins went down. However, the last two years are symptoms of questionable selections by Kevin O’Connell to fill the position.
Is it time to start placing some of the blame on him?
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Shares Blame In QB Uncertainty
Daniel Chavkin of The Sporting News recently compiled and detailed every QB who has started a game under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. For almost everyone outside of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, the results haven’t been great.
For that reason, O’Connell himself may need to be blamed a bit more when discussing the Vikings’ struggles at the position.
“At one point, O’Connell was considered a bright young head coach who would get the most out of any quarterback on his team. Over time, though, the Vikings still haven’t solved their quarterback issues, while Minnesota’s former signal-callers have thrived elsewhere.
Now, with Kyler Murray the latest Vikings quarterback who isn’t playing up to expectations, O’Connell’s status as a quarterback guru has waned. The Vikings head coach needs to turn that around for Minnesota to compete for a Super Bowl…
…With Murray struggling, and Darnold and J.J. McCarthy finding some success elsewhere, many are wondering whether O’Connell is overrated as an offensive coach. Murray always seemed to be an odd fit with the offense O’Connell wants to run, and that has proven true so far.”
Until the Vikings figure out the QB position long-term, it probably isn’t fair to call O’Connell a “QB whisperer.”
Minnesota, Kirk Cousins Won’t Be Reuniting In 2026: Schefter
Adam Schefter gave the world an update on Kirk Cousins as the trade deadline approaches. If you wanted Cousins back in the Twin Cities, this isn’t what you want to hear.
“As of this weekend, the Raiders had not received any trade inquiries regarding their starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, nor are they interested in dealing him, per league sources. They plan to keep sticking with him until they believe their No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, is ready.”
If this report is true, then the Vikings never even reached out to the Raiders about Kirk Cousins. Minnesota won’t be welcoming back Kirk Cousins in 2026, and it looks more and more like they’ll be sticking with the QB room they have.
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Gets Put On Blast Amid QB Concerns