Carson Wentz to start Thursday night, J.J. McCarthy goes through on-field workout
Vikings will start Carson Wentz at QB Thursday at Chargers [FULL}
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell announced Tuesday Carson Wentz will get the start for Thursday Night Football at the L.A. Chargers. J.J. McCarthy went through an on-field workout at TCO Performance Center, and isn't ready to play yet. Max Brosmer will be the back-up quarterback, and McCarthy will be the emergency No. 3.
EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings are on a short week, heading West to face the L.A. Chargers on Thursday Night Football after Sunday’s 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carson Wentz to start Thursday
What we know:
Vikings’ coach Kevin O’Connell announced Tuesday Carson Wentz will get the start Thursday night at the Chargers, his fifth of the season. Wentz threw for 313 yards, but had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.
Dallas Turner, Carson Wentz turn the page to Chargers Thursday night
The Minnesota Vikings are at the L.A. Chargers for Thursday Night Football, and are coming off a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas Turner and Carson Wentz spoke Tuesday at TCO Performance Center about moving on from Sunday's loss.
Wentz is now 2-2 as the starter, and has 1,072 yards passing, five touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s still dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.
"He was sore, but I’ve been really encouraged by how fast he turned over," O’Connell said.
Max Brosmer will be the No. 2 behind Wentz, and J.J. McCarthy will be the emergency No. 3 for the second straight week.
J.J. McCarthy goes through on-field workout
Why you should care:
O’Connell said J.J. McCarthy went through an on-field workout with the coaches and training staff Tuesday morning at TCO Performance Center. It was determined his ankle is not quite ready yet. O’Connell said it might be a different story if they were playing Sunday and not Thursday.
"Just wanted to know if he could possibly be in a good place, just having a plan in place. Just wanted to make sure everybody had clarity," O’Connell said. "No it’s not going to need to be something where he’s 130% or we’re waiting for this metric. It’s about his effectiveness and ability to go out and do his job for 60 minutes without having any setbacks or making his job more difficult than it has to be."
The Vikings are at the Detroit Lions on Nov. 2. That could be McCarthy’s return.
Aaron Jones practice window opens
Dig deeper:
The Vikings are opening Aaron Jones’ 21-day practice window on Tuesday. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. He had five carries for 23 years before the injury.
The Vikings are hopeful he can return Thursday night. Without Jones, Jordan Mason has 380 yards rushing and four touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
What's next:
You can watch Thursday’s Vikings/Chargers game on FOX 9. You can also watch Vikings GameDay Live from 6-7 p.m. leading up to kickoff, and we'll have a Vikings Postgame Special after the game.