Carson Wentz defends Kevin O'Connell, Vikings over controversial in-game decision

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has received criticism for allowing quarterback Carson Wentz to take numerous unnecessary hits as Wentz played with a left shoulder injury during the club's 37-10 defeat at the Los Angeles Chargers back on Oct. 23. 

Wentz will soon undergo season-ending surgery to repair the issue, but doesn't blame O'Connell for his current condition. 

Why Carson Wentz doesn't blame Kevin O'Connell, Vikings for injury

"This isn't my first rodeo," Wentz said while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. "I'm not an idiot. I know what I was signing up for going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me, any of those things."

Wentz initially picked up the shoulder injury on Oct. 5. He then took five sacks and completed 15-of-27 passes for 144 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the blowout loss to the Chargers. 

Wentz was starting in place of Week 1 QB1 J.J. McCarthy, who hasn't played since he went down with what became a lingering ankle problem in Week 2. McCarthy is on track to start when 3-4 Minnesota plays at the rival Detroit Lions (5-2) this coming Sunday. 

"The public backlash and different things that I'm being told are out there, I think, is personally kind of crazy," Wentz said about reactions some have had to O'Connell keeping the signal-caller in the Chargers game. "Nobody's in this building. Nobody's in these conversations. Nobody knows what's truly going on and transpiring behind these walls. And I can just honestly say this place has been super supportive and super helpful this whole time, and I'm grateful for that."

Why Carson Wentz wanted to play through injury for as long as possible

Before September, Wentz hadn't made multiple regular-season starts in a single campaign since 2022-23. The 32-year-old who has become a journeyman understands there's no guarantee he'll ever again serve as a first-choice starter at the highest level. 

"It's fun," Wentz added about attempting to play through his shoulder discomfort. "I'm not going to lie. It's fun. It's what I grew up dreaming of doing. And when you lose it for a little bit, it's hard to want to give it up. So even with pain, and all the things that I knew were going to come with it, [I wanted] to play. I want to be out there, and I want to be helping this team however I can."

McCarthy will now try to have some fun at Detroit's Ford Field. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the Vikings as 8.5-point underdogs for that contest.