J.J. McCarthy Out, Carson Wentz Steps In: Vikings QB Chaos Hits Peak as Burrow’s Backup Steals Spotlight
It was only the second week of the 2025 regular season, but the NFL is already beginning to lose some of its biggest stars to injuries. The sophomore sensation, Jayden Daniels, is questionable for Week 3 due to a knee strain. This year’s debutante, J.J. McCarthy, has already been ruled out for the week with a high-ankle sprain, and perhaps worst of all, Joe Burrow is now expected to be out for several weeks, or months, even.
According to reports, McCarthy actually picked up the injury during his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears, and subsequently re-aggravated it during the Sunday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Cincinnati Bengals seem to have found their man in Jake Browning, who took over for Burrow just before halftime and still managed to navigate them towards victory. In the case of the Minnesota Vikings, however, the answer to their QB1’s absence will have to come from a weathered Carson Wentz.
Ironically enough, the Bengals and the Vikings are slated to play each other in Week 3, meaning that fans will be treated to a Wentz versus Browning showdown in the midst of this coming Sunday’s afternoon slate. Suffice to say, the Under will likely be a popular talking point come game day.
For Wentz, it’s yet another example of how quickly things can change in the NFL. Just a few weeks prior to the start of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to Minnesota, along with a fifth- and seventh-round pick, in exchange for Sam Howell.
After seeing a total of 19 pass attempts throughout the last calendar year, he’ll now get another opportunity to start in an NFL game. Given both his age and journeyman status, it’s safe to assume that this could be one of the last few starts of his career.
At the same time, however, that could provide an extra bit of motivation for the 32-year-old Wentz, who could extend his time in the league with a win against the Bengals on Sunday. Of course, Cincinnati has no interest in just letting that happen, especially with their level of playoff aspirations.
It’s also worth noting that Wentz was at the helm for the Kansas City Chiefs’ final game of the 2024 regular season. Heading into the contest, it was widely known that a Denver Broncos loss would allow the Bengals into the playoffs, while a Broncos win would eliminate them.
Wentz and the rest of the Chiefs’ backup crew proceeded to score 0 points, ensuring that the Bengals never had a chance. There’s likely a few people in Cincinnati’s locker room who remember that, so despite the lack of overall QB talent, this game will certainly be worth a watch on Sunday afternoon.
Lions veteran is proving everyone wrong about him, and he's being rewarded with an expanded role for it
Detroit Lions veteran is proving everyone wrong about him, and he's being rewarded with an expanded role
I swear to you, I've typed the words edge rusher 750 times in the last few months alone. I wish I could actually count. My favorite time to do it is when it's for a good reason, and this one is. The Detroit Lions are coming off a big win over the Chicago Bears, and they were able to bring pressure and get home for the first time this season. One player who really stood out caught the eye of coaches, and now he's going to get more opportunities going forward.
Al-Quadin Muhammad is set to get an expanded role on the Lions' defense
Muhammad had a great game against the Bears on Sunday. In the times when Marcus Davenport was injured, Muhammad came in and played 36 snaps and put up three pressures and a sack. While it was less noticeable, he had a pressure and a quarterback hit against the Packers in Week 1, too. Muhammad is showing what he can do week to week. Because of that, he's going to get an expanded role on the Lions' defense.
"He had a really good camp, and he just continues to do things for us. He's crafty, he's strong, he's got some explosiveness, and, man, he plays hard. God plays hard." Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday. "I mean, there was a number of plays I can think of three right now where he's running out of the stack. He's running out of balls thrown screen and, I mean, he is running to try to get the ball or making a tackle. And it's that kind of effort with what he's got, ability-wise, it gives you a chance. He's been big for us, and he's going to get more of a role. He's earned that."
It's been such a stark difference from what was expected for Muhammad when he got here last year. When I asked Colts beat writer Destin Adams about him after he signed, Adams said right out front that if the Lions were hoping for pass rush from him, they might be disappointed, but that he was strong against the run in Indianapolis.
Adams was right on the latter part of that. Muhammad has been a great run defender in Detroit. But he's also shown to be a strong pass rusher. Perhaps he just didn't get to show that with the Colts. He showed in 2024 and the Lions brought him back, and now he might have a chance to start opposite Aidan Hutchinson against the Ravens since the Lions are waiting to hear what the word is on Davenport.
Let's see what he can do against a Ravens offensive line that struggled against the Browns defense on Sunday, despite their win, saying otherwise.
