Carson Wentz shows his toughness after playing 2 1/2 games with a major shoulder injury

How tough is Carson Wentz?

He dislocated his left, non-throwing shoulder, tearing his labrum and fracturing the socket, in the first half of a game for the Minnesota Vikings in London on Oct. 5, according to two people with knowledge of the injury.

Wentz missed one play, returned and went 9-for-9 for 71 yards on the final drive, including a game-winning 12-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with 25 seconds left in a 21-17 victory over Cleveland.

After a bye week, Wentz started the next two games and wore a shoulder harness on his left shoulder. Both people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the severity of the injury, said the decision to start Wentz was mutual because the team’s medical staff determined he wasn’t risking further damage to the shoulder and it was a matter of pain tolerance.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said last week he was told by doctors that Wentz wasn’t risking further damage by playing. O’Connell wasn’t going to use Wentz if doctors advised against it. So, Wentz toughed it out to play for the team he grew up rooting for in North Dakota.

O’Connell faced criticism for letting Wentz play injured. But he wanted to keep playing and the Vikings needed him because J.J. McCarthy has been dealing with a sprained ankle and third-string QB Max Brosmer is a rookie who hasn’t started in the NFL.

Wentz took a beating behind a depleted offensive line against the Eagles and Chargers. The Vikings lost both games and the pain Wentz endured was obvious. He winced, grimaced and grabbed his shoulder after taking numerous hits, including seven sacks.

But he wasn’t going to ask out. He loves to play ball and the opportunity to start for the Vikings was a childhood dream come true.

The reason Wentz put his body on the line can be explained by his career trajectory. This is a guy who finished third in voting for NFL MVP in his second season in the NFL in 2017 and now was playing for his sixth team in six years.

He’s gone from being one of the league’s elite quarterbacks to the definition of a journeyman.

Now his season is over.

It wasn’t the first time he played with an injury that required season-ending surgery.

On Dec. 10, 2017, Wentz led the 10-2 Philadelphia Eagles to the West Coast to play the 9-3 Los Angeles Rams in a game that had No. 1 seed ramifications.

Wentz tore his ACL, LCL and damaged his meniscus in his left knee while diving headfirst into the end zone in the third quarter of that game. A penalty negated the score but Wentz stayed in for four more plays. On fourth down from the 2, he tossed his fourth TD pass of the game to give the Eagles a 31-28 lead.

Wentz walked off the field, went to the locker room and his career would never be the same again. Nick Foles replaced him and guided the Eagles to victory after the Rams took the lead. Foles went on to lead Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl title, beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Wentz lasted three more years in Philadelphia, losing his job to Jalen Hurts during a disastrous 2020 season.

He’ll be a 33-year-old free agent coming off shoulder surgery next season so his future in the NFL is uncertain.

But there’s no denying Wentz’s toughness.

Colts are the real deal

The Indianapolis Colts have the best record in the NFL at 7-1 thanks to a rejuvenated Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor.

Still, six teams have better odds to win the Super Bowl on BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Colts are 11:1 to win it. They’re behind the Chiefs, Lions, Bills, Packers, Rams and Eagles. Maybe oddsmakers need to see more from Indianapolis but the AFC South leaders are legit.

With Jones, Taylor and rookie tight end Tyler Warren leading the way, Shane Steichen’s offense is averaging a league-best 33.8 points per game. The defense is giving up a sixth-lowest 19.3 per game.

The Colts are 5-0 at home. They have some tough games upcoming, including a road trip to Pittsburgh this week before going to Germany to play Atlanta. They already beat the AFC West-leading Broncos (6-2) so they’d have a tiebreaker advantage for seeding purposes in that scenario.

But there’s a long way to go and a game at Kansas City (5-3) on Week 12 that might be the one that would turn doubters into believers.

Jerry’s right

The Dallas Cowboys have an elite offense that’s going to have to win shootouts because the defense is porous.

With the trade deadline looming on Nov. 4, the Cowboys (3-4-1) are candidates to seek help on defense. They have draft capital after trading two-time All-Pro Micah Parsons for a pair of first-round picks.

But owner Jerry Jones doesn’t sound like a guy looking to make another blockbuster move.

“Are we one player away on defense? I think we’re not,” Jones told reporters after a 44-24 loss at Denver on Sunday. “I think we’re more than that away, but what we’re closer to than it looks, in my mind, is executing better on defense.”

Jones is right. The Cowboys aren’t going to become Super Bowl contenders by acquiring All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson or anyone else on defense. There’s a big gap between Dallas and the Eagles (6-2) in the NFC East. Jones and the Cowboys are likely better off keeping those draft picks and reloading after the season.

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