NFL insider confirms the obvious with status of Minnesota Vikings QBs J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz
One of the biggest stories in the NFL is what the Minnesota Vikings will do at the quarterback position.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell went into the season with J.J. McCarthy as his unquestioned starter, despite never having played a single game in the regular season. They made efforts to try and find a quality backup, even offering Daniel Jones substantial money to stay in Minnesota, but he chose correctly, as he's now the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings ended up settling on a quarterback room of McCarthy, Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer, but made a major pivot by trading Howell after the final preseason game and signing Carson Wentz to be the backup.
J.J. McCarthy Injury Timeline
- J.J. McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2
- Kevin O'Connell told the media about the injury the next day, saying he could miss some time
- Carson Wentz went 2-1 as the starting quarterback for the Vikings, raising questions whether or not he would remain the starter
Tom Pelissero confirms J.J. McCarthy is the starting quarterback
NFL insider Tom Pelissero was on NFL Game Day talking about the Vikings quarterback situation, and he was clear that McCarthy is the starting quarterback.
"The Vikings quarterback situation is murky, to say the least. J.J. McCarthy, I'm told, got good work during the bye week. He should be able to return to practice this week, but McCarthy is still not 100%
on that ankle," said Pelissero. "They've got to see his mobility. They got to see how the ankle responds, and they got to make sure he is comfortable and in a groove from an operational perspective, before they put him back out on the field.
"Meanwhile, his backup, Carson Wentz is dealing with a left shoulder injury, and he could be limited in practice this week, a lot to sort through to figure out who's going to be out there on the field next week against the Eagles."
We've been in a situation over the last three weeks where there have been rumors about whether or not the Vikings had "quietly benched" the first-year starter. After the 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, O'Connell was asked about whether or not McCarthy would be the starter once he's healthy, and his words confirmed that he would be without actually saying it.
"I think first and foremost, he's got to get healthy," said O'Connell on September 22nd. "And then, throughout that process, I don't think it's one of those things where it's, ‘Hey, the day he's healthy.’ And if he's healthy the night before a game, we're going to just throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing. I think we saw as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game, he did miss practice that week. And when you're in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours of what it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can't cut corners on that. And that also doesn't require an answer on that question today."
McCarthy was always going to be the guy once he was healthy, and it's been the case the entire time. We can put this to rest now.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Speaks out on Acrisure Stadium Grass After Killebrew Injury
The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced problems with the grass at Acrisure Stadium in the past. Issues arose again during Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have summarized it best, calling the field conditions “borderline unplayable.”
Rodgers also addressed how the field may have led to an injury to Steelers safety Miles Killebrew.
“By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up, so I feel bad about what happened to Miles [Killebrew],” Rodgers told reporters. “I’m not sure if, you know, there was any carry there. I know the field gets a lot of play.”
Sunday was only Pittsburgh’s second game at Acrisure Stadium during the 2025 NFL regular season. But the Steelers also had a home preseason contest in August. Furthermore, the Pitt Panthers football team has played four contests on the field.
As a result, the grass between the hashes Sunday was very chewed up by the end of the Steelers-Browns clash.
Acrisure Stadium Getting New Sod: Report
Players have debated for decades whether grass or turf is a better playing surface. It’s probably safe to say most players prefer grass. But it seems like on an annual basis, the Steelers showcase at their home stadium why grass can be an issue in the NFL.
Bad grass can lead to injuries such as it potentially did with Killebrew on Sunday. It can also have a negative impact on performance because of the possibility to slip.
That happened on Sunday too. Kicker Chris Boswell missed his final attempt of the afternoon because he didn’t get good footing and slipped.
It would help Acrisure’s grass if Pitt didn’t play its home games at the stadium. But that’s a discussion for another day.
The fact the grass is so torn up already is not a good sign. Typically, Acrisure Stadium’s grass gets really bad in November when high school football playoff games begin occurring on the field.
Aaron Rodgers Hints at What Steelers Should Do to Solve Grass Issues
The grass at Acrisure will be a storyline going forward. The CBS Sports broadcasters from Sunday’s game said the Steelers were planning to re-sod the field after Sunday.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that was already happening Sunday evening.
The re-sodding process is already underway at Acrisure Stadium
Rodgers said the field conditions was reminiscent of Lambeau Field at Green Bay. But Rodgers explained the Packers no longer have major grass issues.
“It reminds me a little bit of the field in Green Bay in the early years, but not until, like, November or early December where it would get kind of torn up a little bit,” Rodger said. “Then they went out and found an incredible field maintenance guy that would come over and help our guys out, and the field in Green Bay is absolutely immaculate.
“But the field today got pretty torn up.”
Again, the Steelers have experienced grass issues at Acrisure Stadium really since it opened in 2001. Quite frankly, even with Pitt playing their home games on the field, it’s an unacceptable issue in today’s NFL.
Quality of play suffers, but it’s also a safety issue.
Maybe Acrisure Stadium should receive new grass more often? Rodgers also proposed another potential solution.
“I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t wear a seven-studs cleats,” Rodgers added. “Some guys are opposed to that, and they just want to wear moldeds.”
Hopefully the field conditions will be better in the Steelers’ next home game. That will occur against the Packers on October 26.
