Bengals can't coast in Week 3 vs. Carson Wentz's Vikings after J.J. McCarthy injury

Both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings will be without their starting quarterbacks when they face off on Sunday in Week 3 of the season.

The Bengals lost Joe Burrow to what could be a season-ending injury to his toe after taking a sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the Vikings will be without their second-year quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, among several other key players.

Cincinnati is lucky to have Jake Browning and will turn to him to play well against his former team. The Vikings will turn to veteran Carson Wentz, making this his sixth NFL team that he will start for.

Bengals fans might not want to get overly excited about McCarthy not being the starter, though.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy falters en route to Week 2 ankle injury

McCarthy took every snap for the Vikings against the Atlanta Falcons. However, he was anything but effective.

The former Michigan Wolverine quarterback completed 52% of his throws, attempting 21 passes, completing only 11 for 158 yards. He threw two interceptions and took six sacks.

After posting those numbers, it is unfortunate that Cincinnati's defense won't have the opportunity to play against McCarthy. Not facing a QB that took so many sacks is especially the case for the Bengals' pass rush, outside of Trey Hendrickson, which has been inept at rushing opposing quarterbacks.

Nevertheless, hopefully, defensive coordinator Al Golden can scheme up pressure to get to backup quarterback Carson Wentz, just as often as the Falcons got to McCarthy.

Furthermore, while the Vikings pulled off a last-second victory in week one over the Chicago Bears, McCarthy did not exactly set the world on fire, contrary to what highlights would have you believe.

In his first outing as an NFL starting quarterback, McCarthy threw for only 143 yards and an interception while throwing two touchdowns in a come-from-behind win. It was a performance that was good enough for a win, but not spectacular enough to strike fear into opposing defenses.

Too soon to call J.J. McCarthy a bust?

During the first two weeks of this season, McCarthy's play has handcuffed O’Connell’s offense to the point that some Vikings fans are already calling their 2024 first-round pick a bust, while others are pleading for patience regarding their young quarterback.

Some of their fans are already contorting themselves to make nonsensical comparisons between McCarthy this season and Peyton Manning's rookie season. The only problem with that is McCarthy is not a rookie.

While the team would have given McCarthy a long leash, his being out for a couple of weeks could be a blessing in disguise for the Vikings, for the second-year QB and the team. Let's hope that luck doesn't come at the expense of the Bengals in Week 3.

Vikings liable to lean on run-heavy attack early vs. Bengals

We should also expect the Vikings to lean heavily on their rushing attack early in the game.

The Bengals did an excellent job of limiting the Cleveland Browns to 2.0 yards per carry and 49 total rushing yards in Week 1. Cincinnati did not give up any explosive runs either. 

On Sunday, the Jaguars, as a team, had 27 rushing attempts for 139 yards against Cincinnati’s defense. They had one explosive run that went for 30 yards. They had several others that were near explosive yards, but they do not count as such because they only gained nine yards.

The prime initial objective for the Bengals' defense must be to limit Minnesota’s explosive runs. That includes Carson Wentz, who's arguably a better scrambler than McCarthy.

However, the Vikings will be without their starting running back, Aaron Jones, due to a hamstring injury. They will turn to Jordan Mason to head their rushing attack against the Bengals’ defense.

Mason carried the ball nine times for 30 yards against the Falcons. Let's hope he finds as much success against the Cincinnati as he did against Atlanta.

With Cincinnati's defense, understandably focusing on Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Jalen Nailor, the Vikings might be forced to turn to their rushing attack. If they are successful at running the ball, it will be a long afternoon for the Bengals' defense.

Unknown Carson Wentz-Kevin O’Connell combo awaits Bengals

The Bengals have a long and storied history of falling short against opposing teams' second-string quarterbacks. Sunday will be the first time they will have to do so with Al Golden as the defensive coordinator.

Since the 2019 season, when Zac Taylor became head coach, the Bengals have lost games to a who’s who of backup quarterbacks, including Dwayne Haskins, Andy Dalton, Tyler Huntley, Bailey Zappe, C.J. Beathard, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Mason Rudolph, and newly acquired practice-squad addition Mike White.

Preparing for a team playing their backup quarterback can be a challenge. Especially when that backup QB is a veteran who has played in several high-stakes games and can do damage with his legs. That is the type of player Wentz, or at least, used to be.

With McCarthy being so ineffective against the Falcons and extremely fortunate versus the Bears, it is fair to question just how long it would have taken for the Vikings’ coaching staff to make a QB change.

Now, Cincinnati's defense must operate within the unknown of Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's effect on Wentz, and vice versa. Knowing what McCarthy was over the first two weeks of the season felt better than going into the game not knowing how well Wentz would play under O'Connell.

What the defense should expect is Wentz getting the ball out of his hands quickly to his playmakers on the outside, in tight end T.J. Hockenson, Jalen Nailor, and the second-best wide receiver in the NFL, Justin Jefferson.

Through two games, Jefferson has seven catches for 125 yards and one touchdown. He is, by far, Minnesota's leading receiver. 

Wentz is a capable NFL quarterback. He has been in the league for a long time. And, he has started games for several teams in his career.

There's not much that he has not seen or experienced as an NFL quarterback. Now, he gets yet another opportunity to start. And this time, he has a well-renowned playcaller in O'Connell speaking through his headset.

Let's hope that the move to Wentz doesn't unlock Minnesota's offense and unleash Jefferson, Hockenson, and the rest of their healthy receiving core. 

At first blush, it is normal to expect your favorite team to have success against the opposing team’s backup quarterback. However, with a less-than-stellar two-game showing to begin the season, the Vikings risk being more formidable with Wentz than with McCarthy. 

No matter who the quarterback is, let's hope the defense will be sufficiently prepared to limit Minnesota's offense and help the Bengals get to an almost unimaginable place at 3-0 to begin the season.

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