"Bye Bye JJ McCarthy": NFL fans react as Carson Wentz scored TD in opening drive of Vikings vs. Bengals clash

With JJ McCarthy sidelined in Week 3 due to a high ankle sprain, backup Carson Wentz got the start under center today against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are also playing with a backup in Jake Browning.

Starting in his first game as a Viking, Wentz got off to a good start as he led the Vikings to a touchdown on its opening drive. Wentz connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josh Oliver to give the Vikings an early 7-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game.

With Wentz providing a spark for the Vikings' offense, some fans replied on X thinking that he could be coming for McCarthy's job and taking over as the starter. Some think the team would be better off right now with Wentz as the starter.

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"Bye Bye JJ McCarthy," a fan said. "Carson Wentz > JJ McCarthy," a fan replied. "They could probably be 2-0 right now if he started from the beginning," a fan said.

Other fans think today could be the start of a late career resurgence for Wentz. Some think that Wentz's situation could be similar to how Geno Smith and Sam Darnold revived their NFL careers late in their respective careers.

"Next geno smith comeback story," a fan said. "If he blows out Cincinnati today, do they continue to play Wentz and rejuvenate his career like they did with Sam Darnold last year?" a fan questioned. "JJ may have lost his job," a fan thinks.

The Vikings held a 14-0 lead over the Bengals before the conclusion of the first quarter.

Carson Wentz rooted for the Minnesota Vikings as a child

NFL: SEP 21 Bengals at Vikings - Source: Getty

Starting today for the Minnesota Vikings was a full-circle moment for Carson Wentz.

Via ProFooballTalk, Wentz told reporters on Wednesday that he went to Vikings games as a kid and that Sunday was going to feel "surreal" running out of the Vikings' tunnel.

"I used to come to the Metrodome, and I was waiving the towel. And so running out of that tunnel this week will probably hit me a little bit different, in a really cool, kind of surreal way."

With his start today for the Vikings, Wentz became the first player in NFL history to start for six different teams in six-straight seasons.

Wentz was drafted second-overall by the Philadephia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft. Due to a torn ACL late in the 2017 season, Wentz was never the same quarterback, and has been a backup quarterback for the last three-plus seasons.

Could today be the start of Carson Wentz reviving his NFL career?

Edited by Rob Gullo