There was a quiet confidence about veteran quarterback Carson Wentz at TCO Performance Center as he stood at the podium reserved for the man starting under center.
He acknowledged that he left some meat on the bone last weekend in Minnesota’s 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. He vowed to be better this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland.
“There are definitely some things to clean up,” Wentz said. “It was far from perfect.”
Wentz was wasn’t spectacular in the blowout win, but he didn’t need to be.
All the Vikings needed Wentz to do while filling in for injured quarterback J.J. McCarthy was keep the train on the tracks, and that’s exactly what he did. He completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns while looking the part of somebody who has started nearly 100 games in the NFL.
The poise that Wentz displayed was enough to ask whether the Vikings are still fully committed to McCarthy as their starter when he recovers from his high ankle sprain.
That head coach Kevin O’Connell was noncommittal in his answer to that question kept the door open for a potential quarterback controversy down the road.
As for his evaluation of Wentz, in particular, O’Connell was effusive in his praise, highlighting some of the fundamentals, like his capacity to go through his progression in the pocket and ability to throw with anticipation when attacking the intermediate part of the field.
“He was very sharp,” O’Connell said. “I just thought he did a really nice job of playing point guard.”
The way that Wentz played the position looked much different than how McCarthy played the position in the Vikings’ first two games.
The most glaring difference was decisiveness. Wentz’s average time from snap to throw was 2.43 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats, while McCarthy’s average time from snap to throw was 3.15 seconds.
That’s a lifetime in the NFL when pass rushers are trying to get home.
“He was getting the ball out of his hands,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said when asked about Wentz. “I think the more he plays, the more comfortable he’ll be.”
Some of the comfort Wentz had when dropping back to pass can be chalked up to the return of star left tackle Christian Darrisaw. To make it all about that, however, wouldn’t be giving Wentz enough credit for how he was consistently able to play in rhythm.
“That can be an incredible weapon for a quarterback,” O’Connell said. “I think there’s value in J.J. seeing that.”
The willingness that McCarthy has shown to continue to learn despite his high ankle sprain is a good sign.
“That’s the something we love about him,” O’Connell said. “He’s going to find positives even in a situation where he can’t be on the field. ”
Though it’s still unclear how much longer Wentz will be the starter, he’s doing everything in his power to learn the ins and outs of the offense. Playing for his sixth team in six years, he has leaned heavily on O’Connell, Phillips and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, among others, while also relying on some of his past experiences to give him an edge.
“There’s still a lot of carry over in this system to other teams I’ve been on,” said Wentz, the second overall draft pick in 2016. “Even if it might be called something different, and there might be little nuances and intricacies … throwing into a zone versus Cover 3 is still the same window.”
The opportunity in front of him isn’t lost on Wentz, who has earned the reputation of a journeyman, having played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs in his career.
As he prepared to start for the Vikings last week, Wentz noted it had been a few years since he had played in a game of consequence. What’s it been like for him this week preparing for another game of consequence?
“Fun,” Wentz said with a smile. “I did this for quite a long time leading up until the little hiatus.”
There’s a chance he’ll get to continue doing it for the Vikings moving forward.
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