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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell defends choice to keep Carson Wentz in blowout loss for prolonged period
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The Los Angeles Chargers dominated the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. The 37-10 defeat dropped the Vikings’ record to 3-4.
But much of the postgame chatter focused on coach Kevin O’Connell’s decision not to pull quarterback Carson Wentz from the blowout.
Wentz was dealing with some discomfort in his non-throwing shoulder. He was sacked five times on Thursday, which appeared to further aggravate the shoulder he was already nursing. The shoulder issue, coupled with the scoreboard, raised concerns about keeping the veteran quarterback on the field longer than many perceived as necessary.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell interacts with Carson Wentz (11) on the sideline during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Wentz was noticeably grimacing throughout the majority of the game.
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After the game, O’Connell explained his decision to stick with Wentz for most of the game.
“We kept on checking in [with Wentz],” the coach told reporters. “Maybe getting Max [Brosmer] ready to go. Tyler [vice president of player health and performance, Tyler Williams] was coming to me a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update me on that. Carson was sore going into it. He took obviously quite a few hits—but he was able to—I asked him multiple times where he was at and he said he was good and wanted to keep going.”
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
“It did seem like he was in pain there a couple times.”
J.J. McCarthy was inactive Thursday. The second-year quarterback started the first two games of the season but has been sidelined since then with an ankle injury.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during the second half at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
O’Connell did note that McCarthy would return to the starting lineup against the Detroit Lions in Week 9 if he is fully recovered, the NFL Network reported.
Game cameras showed Wentz slamming his helmet on the Vikings’ sideline out of apparent frustration. Wentz later made it clear that the injury ultimately did not hamper his throwing ability.
“I don’t think so,” Wentz said. “I don’t think throwing wise. That’s honestly why I felt confident to go. I felt I could do my job. I thought I could throw the ball. Thankfully, you don’t need your left shoulder all that much to throw the football. So mechanically, throwing wise, I felt like I could do everything I needed to do.”
Reserve quarterback Max Brosmer briefly entered Thursday’s contest, completing three of his four pass attempts in the fourth quarter.
O’Connell acknowledged that he had considered inserting the rookie signal-caller earlier in the game.
“Yeah we did,” O’Connell said. “Carson’s a veteran player. He understands, kind of, some of our circumstances tonight. I think it’s very difficult to ask a rookie to go in there for his first performance and have to be kind of weathering it a little bit for the group.
“I did think about that at different times in the game but at the same time, the confidence we have in Max and the upside we see in Max is real. You also don’t want to send him out there and force a level of figure-it-outness that’s probably beyond a guy playing for the first time.”
The Vikings have now dropped back-to-back games.
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Now the NBA playoffs are in the swing of things.
Let’s check out the odds for the second round of the playoffs, at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 11.
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EAST SECOND ROUND
No. 7 PHILADELPHIA vs. No. 3 NEW YORK
NYK wins 4-0
No. 4 CLEVELAND (+200) vs. No. 1 DETROIT (-250)
DET leads 2-1
GAME 4 — DET @ CLE (May 11)
Spread: Cavs -3.5
Moneyline: Pistons +140, Cavs -166
O/U: 213.5
What to know: This has been a weird series. Each team has yet to lose on its home court, and the games haven’t seen much domination on either side. Take Game 3 for example: Cleveland held Detroit to 18 points in the second quarter and took a 16-point lead into halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Pistons held the Cavs to 19 points, cutting that deficit to two heading into the fourth. But Cleveland put together its highest-scoring quarter of the game in the final frame to emerge with a seven-point win.
WEST SECOND ROUND
No. 4 LOS ANGELES (+7000) vs. No. 1 OKLAHOMA CITY (-20000)
OKC leads 3-0
GAME 4 — OKC @ LAL (May 11)
Spread: Thunder -11.5
Moneyline: Thunder -520, Lakers +390
O/U: 214.5
What to know: It appears the Lakers just don’t have the firepower to compete with the Thunder. OKC has won the first three games of the series by a combined 59 points (19.7 points per game), including a 23-point win in Game 3 in Los Angeles. And consider this: SGA is averaging just 21 points per game on 46% shooting. The Thunder are stacked, and sit at 7-0 in the postseason so far.
No. 6 MINNESOTA (+320) vs. No. 3 SAN ANTONIO (-390)
Tied 2-2
GAME 5 — MIN @ SAS (May 12)
Spread: Spurs -10.5
Moneyline: Spurs -410, Wolves +320
O/U: 218.5
What to know: We’ve got a series on our hands. Now tied at 2-2, both of these teams have won once at home and once on the other team’s home floor, with the Wolves winning a crucial Game 4 in Minnesota. But that wasn’t the story of the night. Victor Wembanyama was assessed a Flagrant 2 in the first half of Game 4, and was ejected from the game, after hitting Naz Reid with a vicious elbow to the head. He will play Game 5, but how chippy might things be after that?
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is in stable condition after being shot at a concert early Sunday morning in Mississippi, the university’s football program said in a statement Monday morning.
Hardy underwent surgery after sustaining a gunshot wound, according to the team, which added that a timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time.
“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans,” the team’s statement said. “We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support.”
According to ESPN, Hardy is alert and moving around Monday morning.
Details from the shooting are unclear.
A native of Oma, Miss., Hardy spent his freshman season at Louisiana-Monroe, where he rushed 257 times for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He transferred to Missouri last season and rushed 256 times for 1,649 yards (second among FBS players) and 16 touchdowns. In addition, Hardy earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award for college football’s top running back.
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The Indiana Pacers’ risky move backfired after the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw them lose their top pick altogether in a disastrous turn of events on Sunday afternoon.
Heading into the lottery, the Pacers, who went 19-63 just one season after reaching the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference, had a 52.1% chance of having a top-four pick.
However, when they didn’t see their team chosen in the first four picks – Indiana also had a 14% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick – it was time to panic.
Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during a press conference to announce center Miles Turner’s contract extension at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 30, 2023. (Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports)
The reason? The Pacers included their first-round pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac, but they only made it a top-four protected pick. That means, if the Pacers were chosen in the lottery as a top-four selection, they would be able to keep it.
But the Pacers were chosen as the No. 5 pick, and the Clippers now own the selection in next month’s draft.
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As a result, Pacers team president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard took full responsibility for the move, apologizing on social media.
“I’m really sorry to all our fans,” he wrote on X. “I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”
Signage is displayed during the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, on May 10, 2026. (Melissa Tamez/NBAE/Getty Images)
The Pacers were viewed as a team that were actively tanking despite the NBA’s attempt to crack down on such a season, with the lottery being one way of that. And it clearly worked this time around.
Pritchard was trying to be transparent and honest with the Pacers fan base, but people were quick to jump in the comments to make their thoughts, and gripes, known.
“You lose Myles Turner and add Zubac,” one X user began. “You lose [Benedict] Mathurin and the number 5 pick with absolutely nothing in return. This is why fans are upset, for a center who not even a top 5 center in the NBA. Who trades their future away for Ivan [sic] Zubac???”
Another X user called this a “generational draft,” and couldn’t fathom the Pacers won’t be picking from a deep class.
“If I were a Pacers fan and my team traded away a top 5 pick for Ivica Zubac in the middle of a tanking season I would be beyond devastated,” a fellow X user wrote.
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton shoots around on the court before an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis on April 7, 2026. (Doug McSchooler/AP)
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The Pacers were without their All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton all season long after he suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Indiana still has key members of that team returning next season, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith.
However, this 2026 draft class is quite the spectacle, with many believing it to be deep considering the talent of BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, among others.
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