Vikings QB Carson Wentz Primed for ‘Revenge Game’ in Week 7
There is one specific storyline that’s going to come up whenever any NFL team faces one of its old starting quarterbacks. One part of that formula is we can usually ratchet up that attention the higher the draft pick.
While some of that luster may have been lost for a variety of reasons, when the Minnesota Vikings host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, they’ll do so with Carson Wentz starting at quarterback in place of injured 2024 first round pick J.J. McCarthy.
That’s notable because Wentz, once upon a time, was the player the Eagles pinned all of their franchise hopes and dreams on.
To recap: Philadelphia drafted Wentz No. 2 overall out of North Dakota State in the 2016 NFL draft, watched him earn NFL All-Pro honors and win a Super Bowl in his second season and signed him to a 4-year, $128 million contract extension before the 2019 season.
To say Wentz doesn’t have extra motivation against the team he used to play for and the player who ultimately took his spot in quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts would be to simply deny the human condition.
No matter what anyone on either side might say, it matters.
There was some speculation McCarthy might return for the Vikings after missing the last 4 games due to an ankle injury until head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Wentz would make his fourth consecutive start.
“The Carson Wentz revenge game is officially on,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on his official X account on October 17. “Kevin O’Connell announces Wentz will start for the Vikings against the Eagles.”
‘Revenge’ Narrative Not Really What It Seems
This isn’t the first time Wentz has faced his old team. In his only other time facing the Eagles, Wentz started for the Washington Commanders in a 24-8 loss in 2022 in which he was largely ineffective, going 25-of-43 passing for 211 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
No matter how media types might want to spin it, sometimes a “revenge” narrative might not always be what it seems — something Eagles Pin Pull podcast host Shane Haff astutely pointed out is the case with Wentz.
“Hard to call it a revenge game when the team benched you while you were playing terribly and then acquiesced to your trade request in the offseason, trading you to the coach you wanted to play for,” Haff wrote on his official X account on October 17. “The Eagles didn’t do wrong by Carson Wentz. Every time a player plays a former team we don’t have to call it a ‘revenge’ game.”
Wentz Made NFL History in 2025
Wentz made NFL history when he started for the Vikings in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, becoming the first quarterback to start for 6 different teams in 6 consecutive seasons.
Wentz started 12 games for the Eagles in 2020, 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, 7 games for the Commanders in 2022, 1 game for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and 1 game for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
“If he starts for the Vikings this weekend, Carson Wentz would become the first quarterback in NFL history to start at least one game for six different teams in six consecutive seasons,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on his official X account on September 15.
Vikings’ Javon Hargrave Gets Honest About Eagles’ Jalen Hurts
The Minnesota Vikings will be facing Jalen Hurts, who is coming off a decent performance in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ loss to the New York Giants in Week 6.
Hurts recorded 283 passing yards while completing 72.7 percent of his passes for one touchdown and one interception. Nonetheless, the Eagles fell and will look for a bounce-back win against the Vikings.
Javon Hargrave is a player on the Minnesota squad who is familiar with Hurts. He recently spoke with Vikings Entertainment Network’s Tatum Everett about ensuring his former teammate has a quiet game.
“We just all got to be one with great communication,” Hargrave said about containing Hurts. “We know if he get out that pocket, he’s Superman out there. So, we kind of got to work as a unit to try to keep him in that pocket and don’t let him be able to make a lot of plays.”
Vikings Will Need to Account for Tush Push
When playing against the Eagles, every defense needs to account for the tush push play. Hargrave has experienced both sides of the coin—he’s benefited from the tush push play and now faces the challenge of defending against it.
“It’s just funny because when I was on that side playing with them I love to play,” Hargrave added. “But of course I’m with everybody else. I kind of hate the play. I think the only way you really can stop it is just don’t let them get down there. So we just trying to talk about those things.”
Carson Wentz to Start for Vikings
While the Vikings defense are preparing for Hurts, the question heading into this matchup was who would Minnesota pick to start this game against Philadelphia under center. Despite J.J. McCarthy returning to practice in a limited role, head coach Kevin O’Connell named Carson Wentz the starting quarterback for Week 7.
“I think as opposed to maybe having to designate and list a running back or a receiver, if we get into that situation, I feel comfortable enough in what would be considered that kind of emergency capacity to be able to call some [plays],” said O’Connell (h/t
“I feel good after watching him practice about some of the things that give him some problems at this point but at the same time, some of the things he feels
“And he got a ton of reps this week, both with the first group, and also with getting some real good reps with that look team of feeling the rush of [Jonathan] Greenard and [Dallas] Turner and [Javon] Hargrave and [Jonathan] Allen and really working on some things that are really starting to come to fruition. So, I was proud of the way he attacked the week, and I know, although he knows he’s not quite all the way there yet, he’s progressing in a really good way.”
