The Minnesota Vikings have some work to do to make a comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. They are still without J.J. McCarthy, who is recovering from injury, and Carson Wentz has handled the quarterback duties. In the game tonight, Wentz came off the field with an apparent injury.
What Happened to Carson Wentz?
On a third down in the second quarter, Wentz’s pass was batted in the air back at him where he swatted the ball to the floor to prevent an interception. After the play, he came off the field favoring his left shoulder, his non-throwing shoulder.
The drive ended, so Wentz didn’t miss any time for the current drive. He was getting checked out on the sideline. Wentz had completed eight of his 14 passes for just 67 yards before leaving the game. He has been on the sideline trying to move that shoulder during the Los Angeles possession.
Carason Wentz walks off the field after throwing that tipped ball holding his arm and in obvious pain.
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) October 24, 2025
He came back on the field for the Vikings’ final possession of the first half. Despite being in pain, Wentz returned and gutted through it. He got the Vikings into field goal range, but Will Reichard missed the field goal before half.
As the Vikings trailed 34-10 late in the game, Wentz clearly appeared to be playing hurt. At the time of writing, he was 15-27 passing for 144 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
If Wentz has to leave this game, it’s hard to get excited about the prospect of these two talented receivers catching passes from Max Brosmer.
While not many have started Wentz in fantasy, he certainly matters for Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Wentz has been hyper-targeting his elite WR1, keeping Jefferson’s fantasy value afloat while JJ McCarthy works his way back from a high ankle sprain.
Currently, the belief is that McCarthy will be ready for Week 9. So there likely won’t be any long-term impact of a Wentz injury. But for the rest of tonight, expect a lot of unsuccessful runs as the Chargers sell out to stop Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason with the goal of making the rookie UDFA beat them.
Based on PFSN’s QB Impact metric, Wentz is the 17th-ranked quarterback in the league. He has an impact score of 77.9 and a C+ grade.
The Vikings are chasing three possessions at halftime after the Chargers scored a touchdown with under a minute to go on a shot up the sideline from Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey. Wentz has to find something in the second half if the Vikings want any shot of making a comeback. The Chargers’ defense is all over the Minnesota offensive line and is making it tough for Wentz to find his receivers.
