Vikings QB Carson Wentz, who will have season ending thumb surgery to repair complex left shoulder injury. He suffered the injury on Oct. 5 while filling in for the injured starter, J.J. McCarthy. Accordingly, we issued this decision. The surgery will repair that dislocated shoulder with a torn labrum and fractured socket.
Wentz was initially hoping to treat his injury over the Commanders’ bye week. Then he made his return to the field in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles. For all of his efforts, it wasn’t enough, as the Vikings fell to the Chargers 28-22. Viewers may have seen Wentz visibly grimace as he played through the pain in the game. He would go on to experience pain in the subsequent 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Wentz’s journey this season has been tumultuous. To be sure, at 32 years old, he’s already made history. As of today, over the last six NFL seasons, he has started at least one game for his sixth different franchise. In his time with the Vikings, he went 2-3 in five starts. Wentz’ final game against the Chargers saw him go for just 144 yards, going 15 of 27 passing. He threw for one touchdown, but one interception as he succumbed to five sacks.
Wentz got hurt in a brutal slugfest with the Cleveland Browns in London. In the first half, he took three bone-rattling shots. Despite the pain, he managed to play through the injury, even completing all nine of his passes during a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter of a hard-fought 21-17 victory. His frustration came to a head late in the game. After one fourth down incompletion, he threw his helmet in anger at the bench, showing the physical beating the QB had been taking. After the verbal eruption, he gagged and immediately shielded his face, nearly in tears, with a towel. Later, he personally apologized to the team’s equipment staff for his outbursts.
Wentz went on to say that his pain level was “maybe the highest that it’s ever been” in a football game. In order to emphasize the seriousness of his illness, he stated, “The pain is pain.” That proclamation hit home because it truly illustrated the struggles he endured on the field.
While Wentz awaits surgery, the Vikings must quickly figure out their long-term QB plan. Now with McCarthy sidelined by injury and Wentz out for the season, that’s a tall order. They could branch out in search of other ways to solidify their attack. That murky water around their QB position might be enough to spell doom against Maryland, Ohio State, and Michigan.
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