The talk around Minnesota Vikings camp all offseason about who would be the team’s starting quarterback centered on Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. Murray was acquired in March after the Cardinals released him following seven seasons in Arizona, while McCarthy was a 2024 first-round pick whose NFL career has largely been plagued by injuries.
But on Sunday, it was veteran QB Carson Wentz behind center for the Vikings, leading his team to a remarkable 39-22 comeback victory over the divisional-rival Green Bay Packers.
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Murray started the game for Minnesota, yet on just the third possession of his Vikings career, he sustained a concussion and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Enter Wentz with his team down 9-0. Green Bay’s lead would eventually balloon to 22-10 in the third quarter, but Minnesota finished the game with 29 consecutive points to begin the 2026-27 season with a memorable win.
KING STUFF 🤴@JJettas2
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/h8GwyExOoX
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026
.@cj_wentz ➡️ @TheeHock8#Vikings cut the lead to 22-17.
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/wZgG7sPDet
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026
Wentz finished the day with 12 completions on 19 attempts for 133 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. It was his first three-touchdown performance since September 2022 when he was with the Washington Commanders. According to ESPN, he became just the third NFL backup QB to throw three TDs and no interceptions (since at least 1950) in his team’s season opener.
Wentz — who on Sept. 9 was named the backup for Week 1 — mentioned God a few times in Sunday’s postgame press conference, including when he was asked what it was like to prepare for the season while watching a QB competition unfold in front of him.
“At the end of the day, leaving it in God’s hands,” he said. “… I’m confident in what I bring to the table, what I can do, and if my number gets called, that I can step up when needed. Who knew how it was gonna play out? None of us did in here, but [I] trusted God through it.”
The 33-year-old from North Dakota has bounced around to six teams since being drafted No. 2 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft. A series of injuries derailed a promising start to his career, and although Wentz has transitioned to being a backup in recent years, he’s added incredible value as a locker-room leader and experienced veteran presence. He earned Pro Bowl honors once (2017-18) and has been to the Super Bowl twice, winning one of them (LII), although he didn’t play in either one.
Last year in Minnesota, Wentz began as McCarthy’s backup but was called upon to start ahead of Week 3. However, a shoulder injury ended his season after five games, two of which were wins. His play helped hold together a 2025-26 campaign in which Minnesota finished 9-8 (third in the NFC North).
Throughout his winding career, Wentz has repeated the fact that it’s Christ who directs his life.
“My relationship with Jesus has meant everything to me,” Wentz told Sports Spectrum at Super Bowl LIX while with the Kansas City Chiefs. “… [The Super Bowl] is definitely a platform I feel God’s given me, and other guys, to make sure that people use it to spread His name — to make Him famous. Again, life’s not all about us.”
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Wentz calls himself a “Christ Follower” in his Instagram bio, and he ends most of his posts with “#AO1.” The acronym stands for “Audience of One” and is commonly used by Christ-following athletes who seek to perform for God and His glory rather than for anyone else. Wentz has worn AO1 hats to press conferences, and he also launched the AO1 Foundation in 2017 with a mission of “uplifting individuals and communities around the world by demonstrating God’s love for His people.”
Thousands of people have been served by the various ministries of AO1, from superfans to young children in Haiti to people in need on the streets of Philadelphia through the foundation’s food-truck outreach, Thy Kingdom Crumb. Service is near and dear to Wentz’s heart, knowing God has first served him.
“Because of how much He loves me, He was willing to allow His Son to go through the agony of dying on that cross,” Wentz told Sports Spectrum for Football Sunday 2021. “And I think that is when the peace just rushes over me and I think, ‘All right God, there is so much more at play than the X’s and O’s of football, and the highs and lows of wins and losses, and that gives me peace.'”
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Wentz and the Vikings will go on the road in Week 2 for another divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears (1-0), the defending NFC North champions. Kickoff is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Wentz is expected to be the starting quarterback until Murray returns.
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