Kevin O’Connell Stays Quiet on Vikings QB Situation After London Win
Carson Wentz led the Vikings to victory over the Cleveland Browns in London on Sunday and moved to 2-1 as stater for Minnesota.
With Week 1 starter J.J. McCarthy sidelined with an ankle injury until at least Week 7, coach Kevin O’Connell is not ready to commit to Wentz as the starter moving forward.
O’Connell was asked postgame about officially naming a QB1 for the Vikings, which was a question he ignored and instead said, “I’m just excited we got the win today and we’re gonna move forward in this bye and get as healthy as we can at all positions.
Reports Say McCarthy Out Until Week 7 Maybe Longer
NFL insiders had conflicting reports over the weekend on a timeline for McCarthy to be able to play.
“The belief is that J.J. McCarthy will be ready in Week 7,” Adam Schefter said on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” With the Vikings on a bye Week 6, their next game would be Week 7 against on the Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) on Oct. 19.
But The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote Saturday that McCarthy could be sidelined until the second half of the season.
“I’ve been told by multiple sources that McCarthy isn’t healthy, and while the target return has been Week 7 against the Eagles, it could still be longer,” Russini wrote.
“For now, (McCarthy’s) focus is on capping a two-week European trip with a win over the Browns. And O’Connell has earned the benefit of the doubt that when McCarthy is ready, when he’s had a full week of practice and when he’s healthy, he’ll be the starter.”
Across two games, McCarthy has completed 58.5% of his passes, totaling 301 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. In comparison, Wentz has played three games, completing 69% of his passes for 759 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Vikings Ready to Depart Europe
The Vikings (3-2) managed to defeat Dillon Gabriel, 21-17, in his first career start for the Cleveland Browns (1-4).
Vikings fans were surprised when WR2 Jordan Addison wasn’t on the field for the team’s first couple drives, but O’Connell revealed postgame that Addison was held out for the first quarter because he missed a walkthrough earlier in the week.
“Those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards. And wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that but at the same time he knows that. He spoke with the team to let them know that whenever I gave him the opportunity to go in the game they can count on him and he makes the game-winning catch.”
With 25 seconds remaining, Addison hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wentz, lifting the Vikings to a crucial victory on their historic international road trip—a journey that began with a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) in Dublin.
“Having been in Europe for two weeks, pretty much, and losing last week in Ireland, a W was a must,” receiver Justin Jefferson said. “We couldn’t go home on that plane 0-2.”
Wentz went a perfect 9-for-9 on the 10-play game-winning drive that began at Minnesota’s 20-yard line.
With the victory, the Vikings improved to 5-0 all-time in London.
Blockbuster Saints Trade Speculation Heating Up After Week 5 Win
The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to quite a bad start this season, but they recently secured their first win of the season. New Orleans took home a 26-14 victory over the New York Giants.
But the Saints are still very likely going to sell and trade some stars this year. They're rebuilding right now and opting to sell at the trade deadline would help push this along. Last year, they made a handful of rebuilding moves at the trade deadline, but they could be even more aggressive this season, as players like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave gain steam as trade candidates.
FanSided's Chris Landers recently suggested the Saints would trade Kamara following their Week 5 win over the Giants.
Kendre Miller looks to be Alvin Kamara's successor in New Orleans
"Kamara's workload has steadily decreased in recent weeks, as New Orleans shares the rushing load with TCU product Kendre Miller," Landers wrote. "Yes, the Saints just signed him to a new deal last year, and yes, this team has been loath to actually admit that it needs to rebuild, but that sure feels like some sort of writing on the wall.
"Kamara has one year remaining on his contract after this one at over $18 million. He's still a useful player at age 30, but he's not the superstar he once was, and there's virtually no chance he'll be part of the next competitive Saints team. New Orleans should do whatever it can to get some value in return now while he still has more team control (and is one year younger), although given Mickey Loomis' track record, who knows."
Kamara makes sense as a trade chip for the Saints, but Kendre Miller's emergence as the backup running back only adds fuel to the trade speculation fire. In Week 5, Miller had two more carries than Kamara, along with 14 more rushing yards. This comes a week after Miller's big day against the Buffalo Bills.
At the end of the day, trading Kamara makes a lot of sense for a few reasons. The Saints already have his successor and it's unlikely Kamara will still be a solid option by the time New Orleans is competing again. A trade seems inevitable.
