Carson Wentz Has Unexpected History On His Side Before Vikings-Bears

Carson Wentz has been around the NFL long enough to experience just about everything. He has been a franchise quarterback, an MVP candidate, a backup and a late-career insurance policy. He has played for several organizations and watched his role change dramatically since the Philadelphia Eagles selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Now Wentz is about to reach a milestone in a place that makes the moment even more interesting. The Minnesota Vikings will start Wentz against the Chicago Bears on Sunday after ruling Kyler Murray out while he recovers from a concussion. It will be the 100th regular-season start of Wentz’s NFL career.

And he will make it for the franchise he grew up rooting for. Wentz told reporters this week that the circumstances surrounding start No. 100 aren’t lost on him. Minnesota also gets a quarterback who delivered when unexpectedly called upon in Week 1, throwing three touchdown passes after replacing Murray in the Vikings’ comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikings have been featuring Wentz’s Week 2 preparation through their official social channels. The direct status URL was not reliably indexed Saturday, so here is the team’s official X account rather than an invented post.

Head Coach Kevin O’Connell announces that Carson Wentz will start Sunday at Chicago and J.J. McCarthy will serve as the team’s backup. pic.twitter.com/SgyaKkE466

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 18, 2026

Carson Wentz Gets Unexpected Opportunity With Vikings

Wentz wasn’t supposed to become one of Minnesota’s biggest Week 2 stories. Murray’s injury changed everything.

Wentz entered the opener against Green Bay and helped engineer Minnesota’s 39-22 comeback. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

That performance provided some reassurance for a Vikings team suddenly forced to turn to its backup quarterback.

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Now comes an entirely different assignment.

Chicago opened the season by scoring 59 points against Carolina and rushing for 291 yards. The Bears will also be playing their home opener at Soldier Field.

Minnesota doesn’t necessarily need Wentz to produce huge numbers. Protecting the football, getting Justin Jefferson involved and preventing Chicago from repeatedly gaining favorable field position could be enough to give the Vikings a chance.

History Has Served Wentz Well

There is also an unusual piece of history working in Wentz’s favor.

He enters Sunday with a 4-0 career record in starts against Chicago.

Past results obviously won’t determine what happens in Week 2, particularly with Wentz playing for another new team at this stage of his career.

But the circumstances are difficult to ignore.

Start No. 100. Playing for the franchise he once cheered for. Against a division rival he has never lost to as a starting quarterback.

Wentz probably couldn’t have scripted a much more interesting way to reach the milestone.

Minnesota Vikings Essentials

• 5 Best Vikings Quarterbacks of All Time
• 5 Best Vikings Running Backs of All Time
• 5 Best Vikings Wide Receivers of All Time
• NFL’s Richest Owners: What Is Zygi Wilf’s Net Worth?

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM.