Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 24, 2025— Fans and commentators are quite angry with the Minnesota Vikings for playing senior quarterback Carson Wentz in the Thursday night 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, even though it was clear that he was having trouble because of an old shoulder issue.
Wentz, who is 32 years old, was on the injury report before the Week 8 game because he had limited practice on Wednesday because of a shoulder issue. Wentz was activated and took the field, though, because rookie starter J.J. McCarthy has been out with a high ankle injury since Week 2.
Aggravation of Non-Throwing Shoulder Vikings insider Alec Lewis posted on social media about how bad the issue was, saying, “Carson Wentz’s contraption on his non-throwing shoulder looks bigger than last week.” I’ve mentioned it many times: He has to avoid hits since he’s playing with a really bad injury.
Wentz was clearly having a hard time during the game. He winced after several hits, especially when he landed directly on his left shoulder after being knocked down. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 144 yards, threw one touchdown pass, and was sacked five times.
Outrage from Fans and Analysts
Fans were quick to criticize the Vikings’ coaching and medical staff for letting Wentz play in the game, with many questioning the team’s judgment and long-term goals.
There were a lot of angry remarks on social media, like:
“Carson Wentz doesn’t deserve any credit for playing tough and through injury,” said one supporter. Stop being stupid and leave the game. I don’t feel sorry for him when he winces every time he plays.
Another post talked about how dangerous it was, saying, “Wentz can’t even lift his left arm.” What the f**k is [Coach Kevin O’Connell] doing? The NFLPA and the NFL might talk about this. He is plainly in a lot of pain and shouldn’t be cleared by any medical personnel.
The team has to act since McCarthy isn’t there.
Since J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ first-round draft pick, got hurt and missed five straight games, Carson Wentz has been the starting quarterback.
Before the game against the Chargers, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed why McCarthy wasn’t playing. He said, “J.J., the medical staff, and I were all kind of encouraged by where he is and the progress he’s making, but he’s just not there.” If this were a Sunday game, the story might be a little different and we could push it all week to see how he’s doing.
The Vikings’ big loss brings their record to 3-4, putting them at the bottom of the NFC North table. This makes it even harder to understand how they are handling their quarterback injuries as the season goes on.