5 years later, Carson Wentz can throw to Justin Jefferson
Carson Wentz finally gets to throw to Justin Jefferson five years and five teams later.
J.J. McCarthy’s ankle injury opens the door for the Wentz-to-Jefferson combination that Philadelphia Eagles fans desperately wanted to see in 2020. Now, it’ll happen for the Minnesota Vikings.
Several other teams could be turning to backup quarterbacks in Week 3.
The Bengals (2-0) won’t have Joe Burrow for a few months because of a toe injury, so Jake Browning will start against Wentz and the Vikings (1-1). Browning led Cincinnati to a comeback win over Jacksonville after Burrow went down early in the game.
Jayden Daniels has a knee injury that could force the Washington Commanders (1-1) to face Las Vegas without the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Veteran Marcus Mariota would replace him.
Justin Fields is in the concussion protocol for the New York Jets (0-2) so Tyrod Taylor would start against Tampa Bay if Fields can’t return in time.
The 49ers (2-0) already played a game without Brock Purdy, defeating New Orleans behind three touchdown passes from Mac Jones on Sunday. It’s uncertain when Purdy will be ready to return.
No matter how much the league tries to protect quarterbacks — there have been 19 roughing-the-passer penalties through two weeks — injuries will happen in a violent sport.
McCarthy got hurt on a 16-yard run in the third quarter and stayed in the game but struggled during Minnesota’s loss to Atlanta. The 2024 first-round draft pick missed his rookie season following knee surgery.
Wentz joined the Vikings only a couple of weeks ago. He’s in line to make a start for a sixth team in six seasons, extending his record.
The 32-year-old Wentz was the No. 2 overall pick by the Eagles in 2016. He finished third in NFL MVP voting the following season but suffered a serious knee injury that December and watched Nick Foles lead Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
In 2019, Wentz became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards without having any wide receiver go over 500 yards receiving.
Entering the 2020 draft, it was obvious the Eagles would target a wide receiver. Instead of taking Jefferson at No. 21, Jalen Reagor was Philadelphia’s choice.
The Vikings were considering cornerbacks when the Eagles were on the clock because they expected Jefferson would be their pick. Minnesota coaches and front-office executives celebrated when Philadelphia took Reagor. The Vikings immediately chose Jefferson with the next pick.
Reagor lasted two seasons in Philly and has 86 career receptions. Jefferson is a two-time All-Pro, was the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year and has averaged 108 catches, 1,626 yards receiving and nine touchdowns per season.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell helped Sam Darnold have a breakout season last year. He gets another opportunity with Wentz, who once had a lot of success but hasn’t been a full-time starter since going 2-5 in Washington in 2022.
Russ cooked
Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns, including a 48-yard pass to Malik Nabers for the go-ahead score with 33 seconds remaining in a game the New York Giants still lost.
Not bad for a guy many people wrote off.
“Russell Wilson can’t play anymore,” former NFL coach Rex Ryan said on ESPN.
Ryan and others were calling for the Giants to bench Wilson and play rookie Jaxson Dart, who took three snaps, handed off twice and lost 3 yards on a keeper.
Wilson threw an interception on his final pass after some miscommunication with Nabers, spoiling an outstanding performance. But he perhaps gives New York its best chance to compete, especially behind a porous offensive line.
Dynamic Lions
Maybe Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and the rest of the Detroit Lions won’t have to hear anymore about the impact of losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
The skeptics were out after Detroit’s offense struggled in a season-opening loss to Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers, whose defense was excellent again in Week 2 against Washington.
But the Lions bounced back with a 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears and Johnson, putting up 511 total yards on offense.
While coaches deserve credit for developing players, it also helps to have talent. Johnson had success with Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. He has a long way to go with Caleb Williams and the Bears.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
