Justin Jefferson Is Biggest Winner for as Long as Carson Wentz Remains Vikings' QB1

Kevin O’Connell officially announced that Carson Wentz will get the start at quarterback Sunday in Chicago for the Vikings. Starting QB Kyler Murray hoped to work his way back out of concussion protocol but was not cleared in time to comfortably make the start. So what does it mean?

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

Well, the Vikings will be facing the defending divisional champs on the road without Murray, Jordan Mason, Jauan Jennings, and possibly Brian O’Neill, who was listed as questionable to play with a knee injury. Not exactly ideal circumstances heading into a key matchup.

This game will take everything the team has to beat one of the up-and-coming teams in the NFL. Both sides of the ball will be under immense scrutiny not to crack under the pressure. But one player seems poised to be the beneficiary of the added urgency for the Vikings on Sunday: star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Wentz gets the ball to his star receiver

Getting the ball to Jefferson was a struggle for the Vikings in 2025. Both J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer struggled to get the team’s best playmaker involved in the passing game. But in five games with Carson Wentz, Jefferson was treated like the number-one option he is. That trend continued in Week 1 of this season when Wentz relieved Murray, helping Jefferson to eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Jefferson’s averages with Wentz over six games? 9.7 targets per game, 6.8 receptions per game, and 93.3 yards per game. Their two TDs against the Packers are the only scoring connections they've had, but if the Vikings want to upset the Bears on Sunday, Jefferson will see the ball a lot against Chicago's porous pass defense.

The Vikings will lean heavily on their star

The Vikings’ run game looks to have taken a massive hit with Jordan Mason moving to the IR with a thumb injury. DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne are likely to see more snaps, but a weakened run game likely means more passing situations, which means more opportunities for Wentz and his receivers.

Free agent signing and WR3 Jauan Jennings has been out of practice this week dealing with a personal family matter and will miss Sunday’s game. Jordan Addison did not have a reception in week one, so O’Connell is likely to get him involved in the offense early. Hopefully, this will prevent the Bears’ defense from going all out against Jefferson and open up additional looks for him throughout the game.

The Bears gave up 361 passing yards and three TDs to Panthers QB Bryce Young in Week 1, as WR Jalen Coker brought in eight receptions for 138 yards and two scores.

Can the pairing of Wentz and Jefferson beat that production? They’ll certainly need to if the Vikings are going to stay competitive in a key NFC North matchup on Sunday. I’d expect Jefferson to be a deciding factor all afternoon.

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