The Philadelphia Eagles have plenty to deal with ahead of their Week 7 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin Patullo’s offense has gone off the rails, and the trio of Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, and A.J. Brown may or may not be having a power struggle over who should make plays. The Eagles’ defense also suffered a chink in their armor when edge rusher Za’Darius Smith announced his retirement earlier this week.
Put it all together, and nobody wants to be in Nick Sirianni’s shoes right now. While the Eagles have plenty to deal with, the Vikings have added to their growing list of headaches by playing mind games over who will be starting at quarterback.
With Kevin O’Connell debating between J.J. McCarthy and former Eagle Carson Wentz, Wednesday’s press conference was supposed to give a big clue as the starting quarterback normally addresses the media. But O’Connell chose chaos in advance of Sunday’s game as SI’s Will Ragatz reported that Wentz and McCarthy will speak on Wednesday, giving no clues to who will start once Sunday rolls around.
Vikings Quarterback Confusion Adds to Eagles’ List of Growing Problems
As stated above, this is a headache the Eagles don’t need. With back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, Philadelphia enters Sunday’s game with a 4-2 record but is teetering toward allowing the season to get away from it like it did in 2023, when they started 10-1 but lost six of their final seven games.
While Sirianni is trying to avoid his second epic collapse in three seasons, the Vikings are trying to sort out their quarterback drama. McCarthy has been sidelined since Week 2 with a high ankle sprain, with some believing he would return after getting extensive work over the bye week. O’Connell also highlighted McCarthy’s footwork as an area that needed improvement during his Monday press conference, leaving the door open for Wentz to get his fourth straight start.
While Wentz has performed well statistically with 759 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 69% completion rate over the last three games, he is also dealing with a shoulder injury, which could limit the veteran in practice this week. O’Connell has had to tweak his offense to make up for his shortcomings and an offensive line that was down four starters in a Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Some of those players, including Pro Bowl tackle Brian O’Neill and first-round rookie guard Donovan Jackson, could return for Sunday’s game, giving McCarthy the supporting cast he didn’t have over his first two games. But O’Connell’s hints that McCarthy still has things to work on force the Eagles to prepare for the possibility that they may be facing Wentz.
O’Connell told KFXN radio’s Paul Allen during an interview on Tuesday that “there is no mystery” about who the starting quarterback will be for Sunday’s game. But the decision to let both quarterbacks speak to the media will have the Eagles guessing a little longer.
For a team that may be on the brink, it’s a headache they do not need and will bring the emphasis back on focusing on themselves before their matchup with the Vikings.