The Minnesota Vikings struggled mightily against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, with the matchup ending in a frustrating 37-10 defeat, dropping the Vikings to 3-4 and last place in the NFC North division. But much of the postgame controversy swirled around comments made by Kirk Herbstreit, the in-game analyst for Amazon Prime, which carried the Thursday Night Football game live.
Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz completed just 15 of 27 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. But the 32-year-old Wentz, a 10-season veteran playing for his fifth team in the last five years — was clearly playing through considerable pain as he continued to fill in for injured starter J.J. McCarthy.
At one point, Wentz’s frustration clearly showed on the sidelines, throwing his helmet then sitting on the bench with an exasperated facial expression, possibly holding back tears. That’s when Herbstreit attacked him on the Amazon live stream for failing to “hold some of that emotion in.”
Herbstreit Disapproves of Wentz’s Emotions
“To me, when you’re the captain of the ship, you’re the quarterback, you gotta try to hold some of that emotion in,” Herbstreit said. “And I know he is frustrated and he’s hurt, but it’s Week Seven. You know, there, there’s a long way to go.”
The commentator went on to say that a quarterback displaying emotions is “worse” than any other player doing so, “because like I said, you’re the guy, you’re the leader. You’re the alpha.”
Wentz was sacked five times by the Chargers, and took eight quarterback hits.
Wentz is suffering through an injury to his non-throwing (left) shoulder that he picked up during the Vikings Week Five game in London against the Cleveland Browns. Minnesota won that game, 21-17, behind a 25-34, 236-yard performance from Wentz, with one touchdown and a passer rating of 102.1.
Fans Not Impressed by Commentator’s Remarks
Fans who posted on social media were largely unappreciative if Herbstreit’s remarks.
“Crazy comment from somebody who needs a dog for emotional support,” wrote one fan, referring to Herbstreit’s practice of bringing his dog to the ESPN College Gameday set because, he has said, he needs “a travel companion.”
“The dude’s in obvious agony, yet he’s out there series after series doing his best for his team,” wrote another. “And a guy who now does fluff commentary with his dog and never took a professional snap is gonna throw shade about what it takes to be a team leader?”
“Disagree with Herbstreit on this one,” wrote a third. “If Wentz just stands there like a zombie it could also tell the team he is indifferent. He has career earnings over $100 million so why care? Showing frustration tells the team he cares and something has to change.”
Wentz Played Almost Entire Game in Pain
Wentz also appeared to injure his throwing hand on Thursday, banging it on another player’s helmet on an attempted pass. At one point, he also grabbed his left arm at the elbow while grimacing in apparent pain.
Nonetheless, Wentz stayed in the game until the Vikings’ final sequence when undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer took over.
“I’m just trying to do everything I can to help this team,” Wentz said after the game. “And I feel confident, even with the pain, that I can help. I can contribute and make plays and spread this ball around.”
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