Chicago (United States) (AFP) – Kyler Murray remains sidelined by a concussion, so backup Carson Wentz will start at quarterback for Minnesota on Sunday at Chicago, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Friday. Murray, who spent his first seven NFL seasons at Arizona before being signed by the Vikings in March, suffered the concussion early in his Minnesota debut last week against Green Bay.
While Murray, 29, made progress in the league-mandated concussion protocol, attending meetings and being a limited participant in three team workouts, he was ruled out Friday. As a result, Wentz will make his 100th career NFL start and sixth for the Vikings. Wentz, a 33-year-old playing for his sixth team in his 11th NFL campaign, stepped in for Murray against the Packers and completed 12-of-19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns in Minnesota’s 39-22 triumph.
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Wentz, whose backup will be J.J. McCarthy, was signed just before last season and went 110-of-169 for 1,216 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions in five 2025 starts. “You never ever feel with Carson like it’s too big for him — and that speaks to his experience,” O’Connell said. “All of that leads to him being in this role now.”
Wentz won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia in the 2017 season, in which he sparked the Eagles to an 11-2 start before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He watched as backup Nick Foles took charge and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl triumph over New England. Wentz has thrown for 23,759 yards and 162 touchdowns with the Eagles, Vikings, Indianapolis, Washington, Kansas City, and the Los Angeles Rams.
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