The Minnesota Vikings are one of many teams dealing with an injured starting quarterback, with J.J. McCarthy set to miss Sunday’s game overseas against the Cleveland Browns due to a high-ankle sprain.
With McCarthy still on the mend and the Vikings playing their second straight game across the pond, head coach Kevin O’Connell will look to veteran backup Carson Wentz to once again shoulder the load under center, as he will make his third consecutive start for Minnesota.
Fortunately for Wentz and company, the Vikings will be facing a Browns team that has made a quarterback change to rookie Dillon Gabriel, replacing Joe Flacco, and has struggled all season, with just one win in four games.
Kevin O’Connell’s Strong Message for Vikings QB Carson Wentz
The real question moving forward is whether the Vikings can continue to stay competitive with Wentz under center, as he’s shown flashes of his old form while also showing some of his weaknesses.
Against T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense last week in Dublin, Ireland, Wentz threw two interceptions, and the team ultimately lost by three. However, Wentz also threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns, which is obviously something that will put a smile on O’Connell’s face.
Heading into Week 5, O’Connell was asked about Wentz’s preparation for a third straight start during a team press conference.
“I think he’s gotten enough time now,” O’Connell said on Wentz’s preparation. “I think it all goes back to that Thursday’s practice after J.J.’s high-ankle sprain. … So he’s really going on his second full week of preparation going into a start, and all those logged reps are starting to be where you can have some things to circle back on that’s not just what you did in Philly or L.A. or Kansas City or Indy or any of the other spots he’s been. It’s now, ‘I remember this rep from a couple of Thursdays ago. I didn’t do this right and here’s why.’ And then the dialogue with us to him, ‘How can we make this fit your eye and fit your comfort level the absolute best way we can?’ And that’s how we’re going to do it, and we have the type of players that can adjust and incorporate those things at the skill positions and along the offensive line that helps Carson.”
It seems as though O’Connell is comfortable with Wentz under center, and he should be considering the results thus far, even though the veteran signal-caller will be going up against Myles Garrett and a talented Browns defense.
Vikings Aim for Bounce-Back Performance With Carson Wentz
Heading into Week 5’s matchup with the Browns, the Vikings are the favorites (-3.5), with O’Connell brimming with confidence after what he’s seen over the course of the first four games of the 2025 NFL season.
“My confidence level in the group is as high as it has ever been,” O’Connell said heading into Week 5.
Although O’Connell is as confident as ever with his group, he knows the team has a challenge ahead against a Browns team that can contain potent offenses.
“Hopefully, just continue to be comfortable, first and foremost,” O’Connell said. “It’s not going to be comfortable for one snap playing against this defense on Sunday. We know that—one of the best in football. But at the same time, if the guys in the huddle do their jobs and we just get simple execution done at a high level, I think we’re going to compete and have a chance against these guys.
“That’s the way they’ve prepared and that’s very much what I’m looking forward to seeing on Sunday.”
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out and if Wentz can continue to play at a high level while facing another tough defense led by an elite pass rusher.
Capitals eager to prove they can replicate 2024-25 success: ‘It feels like the league is maybe writing us off again, saying last year was a fluke’
The Washington Capitals finished last season atop the Eastern Conference, but they don’t believe they’re done having to prove themselves just yet.
After wrapping up their 5-1 preseason with a victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Caps have their sights set on replicating the success they found in 2024-25. That roster vastly outperformed expectations to put up a 51-22-9 record and contest for the Presidents’ Trophy. Now, they want to prove it wasn’t just luck.
“It feels like the league is maybe writing us off again, saying last year was a fluke,” said goaltender Logan Thompson. “I think a lot of guys are hungry to keep proving the league wrong and that we’re a legitimate contender.”
The Capitals’ strong season was fueled in large part by a slew of players recording career-best seasons. Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Aliaksei Protas all scored at least 30 goals — the latter two for the first time — Pierre-Luc Dubois emerged from a tumultuous exit from the LA Kings to become a pivotal weapon in Washington, and Logan Thompson established himself as a number-one goaltender, to name a few.
With so many things going right for the 2024-25 Capitals, regression could be a strong possibility, but the team isn’t buying into outside predictions predicting just that.
“It doesn’t really change anything that we do, but we’re human beings, so people read things and hear things,” head coach Spencer Carbery said Saturday night. “It’s on us as a group, whether it’s outside people that think we’re a non-playoff team, or that certain players can’t replicate the seasons that they’ve had last year, and that’s unsustainable, or whatever it is, the shooting (percentage), this and that. That stuff is fine, and people are entitled to their opinion. It’s on us to do the things necessary to replicate a lot of the things that we did last year.”
Much of that optimism stems from the relatively unchanged roster — unlike the massive turnover during the 2024 offseason, the Caps return this fall with largely the same group — but Washington also has faith in its new additions. This year’s training camp has seen a tight competition for roster spots, with more than a handful of players making their case that they have what it takes to play NHL games.
“I think what impressed me right off the bat is just how much depth we have and how many of these young guys can play,” Thompson said. “We have a lot of guys that we can put into this lineup that are going to make this team competitive.”
The Capitals will finalize their Opening Night roster on Monday before officially starting the year against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. They’ll enter the season with high expectations and a chip on their shoulder, and they’re not shying away from the chance to turn doubters into believers again.
“Whether people think we’re going to do it or not do it, we’ve got a bunch of guys that are self-motivated young men,” said Carbery, “that every day when they wake up — and myself, our staff included, support staff included — is we’re going to try to be better than we were the previous day, and we’re going to get after it as hard as we possibly can.”
