WK 09 ~Bills @ Vikings Week ~ Discussion, Pressers, News, etc.

Reaction to Carson Wentz starting on Monday night vs. Buffalo:

EMERGENCY POD: CARSON WENTZ TO START VS. BILLS https://t.co/QotpjL4540 via @YouTube

— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) November 5, 2026

Carson Wentz talking about KOC’s offense: “I feel very comfortable when I’m out there” pic.twitter.com/6k7Keimlhi

— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) November 5, 2026

Barring a meltdown (or a trade), Carson Wentz should get an extended leash to move forward as the Vikings' starting quarterback, even when Kyler Murray is healthy.

Here's why: https://t.co/kTvpAlaezf

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 5, 2026

It’s Carson Wentz time again. Kyler Murray has a hamstring strain and is “week to week,” Kevin O’Connell revealed on Thursday. The Vikings’ quarterback carousel spins on.

Wentz will make his second start of the season on Monday night against the Bills, although he’s essentially played two full games after stepping in for a concussed Murray very early in the season opener against Green Bay. The veteran also made five starts for the Vikings last year, with mixed results.

Wentz is a quarterback with some notable flaws, which is why he’s largely served as a backup for five years now. He also might be the best quarterback currently on the Vikings’ roster — or at least the best fit for their offense. Barring a trade for a QB or a disastrous performance on Monday, Wentz should get an extended leash of opportunity to take the starting job in Minnesota and run with it.

Whether that will happen is unclear, and will likely be determined by a combination of Wentz’s performance and Murray’s health.

“It’s all about this week for our team” is all O’Connell would say on the matter. “We’ve gotta put everything we have into this football game and understand what it is, which is an unbelievable opportunity, even though it’s gonna be a heck of a challenge.”

Wentz has played in seven games in a Vikings uniform. He’s completed 63.9 percent of his passes, with 9 TDs and 5 INTs. His passer rating is 89.7. Perhaps the biggest concern is that he’s been sacked 25 times on just under 250 dropbacks (10 percent).

Murray has played just over five full games this season. He’s completed 64.9 percent of his passes, with 5 TDs and 3 INTs. His passer rating is 86.6. He’s been sacked 15 times on 186 dropbacks (8 percent).

The numbers are rather similar. Murray is obviously a bigger threat with his legs, which helps with sack avoidance and creating positive plays as a scrambler. But there are a few reasons to think that Wentz is a better fit for what O’Connell and the Vikings like to do on offense, which hasn’t been working under Murray for the past couple weeks.

One of them is average time to throw. Among 47 quarterbacks with at least ten dropbacks this season, Murray’s 3.19 TTT ranks 43rd. Wentz is tied for tenth at 2.62 seconds. He was also at 2.68 last season. In part because he isn’t going to extend plays with his athleticism as often, Wentz gets the ball out of his hands quicker. That suggests that his issues with sack rate have been more on the offensive line.

Wentz is also much more willing and able to throw the ball over the middle of the field. It is a basic reality that at 6’5″, he has a more advantageous sight line than the 5’10” Murray. According to Yahoo Sports’ Matt Harmon, Wentz has targeted breaking routes over the middle roughly 16-17 percent of the time over the past two seasons, which is around league average. Murray has been at 9 percent in that regard for two years running.

The other thing Wentz does that’s important is get the ball to Justin Jefferson, the Vikings’ currently-frustrated best player. In seven games with Wentz, Jefferson has averaged 6.4 catches for 89.1 yards per contest. Wentz was at quarterback for Jefferson’s last two Jefferson-like games, when he had 126 and 123 yards in Dublin and London last year. He was also in there for Jefferson’s best game of this season, with 92 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers in Week 1.

In three full games with Murray, admittedly a small sample size, Jefferson has averaged five catches for 52 yards.

Again, Wentz isn’t a perfect solution. He’s going to take some sacks and make some errant throws, which might get picked off from time to time. He’s also going to get the ball out of his hands, throw over the middle of the field, and get the ball to Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Those things matter.

“He’s gonna throw a lot of completions, he’s gonna put the ball in play,” O’Connell said of Wentz. “He’s got such a high understanding of not only the offense, but what he’s looking at on the other side. He’s got 100 games of experience. He’s the perfect guy, in a moment where you can’t have Kyler out there at full strength, to go in there.”

“I think we’ll get really good quarterback play,” O’Connell added. “My expectation is Carson’s gonna play really well, because we’ve called on him multiple times over the last two years, and he’s stepped in. We’ve had production, as an offense, when that’s happened.”

As long as Wentz is at least competent on Monday night, win or loss, he should get a real chance to move forward as the Vikings’ starter — not merely an injury replacement who takes a seat once Murray is healthy. Wentz may be a backup, but he also looks like a better scheme fit who might just have the upside to do something special with this opportunity.

Here's a good look at why we believe Wentz gives the #Vikings a better chance to win:https://t.co/CxfKb3EIZg

— Vikes\/erified (@VikesVV) November 5, 2026

Jefferson has been a class act for seven years. He deserves a chance to win it all. https://t.co/cInjEiEcKE

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) November 5, 2026

This week’s Access Vikings short video, reacting to the news that Carson Wentz will start on Monday night and assessing where the QB position goes from here: https://t.co/3ytzuULohd

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) November 5, 2026

This is an interesting matchup for the Vikings defensive line. I took a look at the gradings at NFLlines.com and found the following:

The Bills have the current #1 offensive line in the league and by a significant margin. They rank #3 in pass blocking and #1 in run blocking.

This will be a big test of the Vikings line and their rotational players. It will be fun to keep an eye on the battles during the game.

The Vikings offensive line is also having a solid year. They are currently ranked the #5 offensive line. They rank #5 in pass blocking and #16 in run blocking. This is enlightening when you review the performance of Kyler Murray. He’s had plenty of protection overall. As a contrast, Justin Herbert plays behind the 32nd ranked pass blocking line and it’s by a wide margin. No other team is close.

On a side note, the Packers have the bottom ranked overall offensive line as of today.

NFNC Remaining Schedule

Cricket wrote:

https://x.com/JasonHarmonNFL/status/2118474487532237180?a=ciT9jAfvD4_Yyawpgxg&s=20

I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to win that game. That is telling from Jefferson. I mean, the WTF moment with JJs hands in the air after Kyler just threw it in the dirt when JJ would have went for some yards was pretty telling too lol

Need to be more consistent in staying on the field and keeping our defense off the field. pic.twitter.com/juk6uh2ycQ

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 5, 2026

The only goal this week is to win. pic.twitter.com/blk7qciRak

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 5, 2026

"He's as good as it gets at his position. I want to get him the rock as much as anybody, so I look forward to trying to do that without forcing it. We've got a bunch of talent on this offensive side of the ball." - Carson Wentz on Justin Jefferson pic.twitter.com/TNZGmgFVlT

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 5, 2026

"I feel like we should win every game. That's just the mindset, that's the expectations that I have every time I step foot out there on the field." - @JJettas2 pic.twitter.com/EQkg3esiKu

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 6, 2026

Dan O on Kyler Murray: "They can't run their offense with him. They tried."

Kevin O'Connell was asked yesterday about the near future of the Vikings QB spot. He said "it's all about this week for our team" before changing the subject. https://t.co/V9tRIXALxb

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) November 6, 2026

Vikings Justin Jefferson on why it hasn't happened: "I'm not sure. That's a good question. But we've got to figure out that answer — and figure it out fast." https://t.co/FMaeY00EIZ

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) November 5, 2026

Doesn’t sound encouraging based on this answer from Christian Darrisaw about his shoulder. He was a limited participant in practice yesterday, but seems like that shoulder could be a problem: pic.twitter.com/1d3YvgMmkz

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) November 6, 2026

#Vikings RB Aaron Jones on Justin Jefferson’s frustration:

“I feel like it’s a good thing he has that. If he didn’t, we should be worried, like does this guy care about the game… he’s never going to be a cancer or anything like that. He’s still in the locker room the same… pic.twitter.com/caWlySz1kq

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) November 6, 2026

#Vikings TE TJ Hockenson was so shocked to see his son at the Lions game. This is awesome.

(Via mikalahockenson on IG) pic.twitter.com/KL3BWVDdF1

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) November 6, 2026

Josh Allen said he is excited to face the best defense in the NFL: pic.twitter.com/1W6GEO1pG5

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) November 6, 2026

18 QB’s in not even 3 full seasons 😭 https://t.co/4Onsb2lQTi

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) November 6, 2026