MINNEAPOLIS — The plan lasted all of 11 plays. Not 11 clean plays. Not 11 plays that hinted at excellence. But 11 plays without having to pivot to Plan B.

Then came Plan B.

Or was Carson Wentz technically Plan C?

What did the Vikings do to the football gods to earn such a dastardly quarterbacks curse?

“Football is a funny game,” Wentz said at the end of another preposterous day in Vikings lore. “Things can change fast.”

Kyler Murray’s debut in purple followed a familiar script when he suffered a concussion on the third series of the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

He was replaced by Wentz, who arrived at training camp No. 3 on the depth chart and not part of the primary competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy.

But this being the Vikings, it was totally on brand that Wentz would be needed in the first quarter of the season’s first game.

And since an audible came so quickly, why not get really weird?

Wentz shook off rust and a double-digit deficit to guide a fourth-quarter comeback that deserves its own oral history.

From bumbling to bombastic, the Vikings put fans through every emotion imaginable before walking off the U.S. Bank Stadium turf with a 39-22 win.

“It wouldn’t be a Vikings win if we were not coming back and having a little bit of adversity,” superstar receiver Justin Jefferson said.

Naturally, the drama involved the quarterback position.

Wentz’s workload in training camp was minimal as the Murray vs. McCarthy competition unfolded. But he found himself thrust into action not long after the Gjallarhorn blew for the first time.

“I didn’t think I would be going home sore today,” Wentz joked.

A good kind of sore after tossing three touchdown passes with zero interceptions. The performance wasn’t without mistakes, but Wentz’s moxie and reliability with little prep time brought steadiness to a stressful situation.

“Cool, calm and collected like always,” Jefferson said.

Those traits are why the organization pushed to bring Wentz back despite signing Murray this offseason. For moments just like this one.

Kevin O’Connell’s five-year tenure as Vikings coach has continued the organization’s history of quarterback instability. Some of that instability is a product of bad luck, some of it by the organization’s own decisions.

O’Connell shared a bit of self-reflection on lessons learned and maturity gained as a coach in navigating that quarterback carousel on Sunday.

“In some of the adversity, I don’t think I’ve coached very well,” he said. “Trying to maybe worry about the stat sheet, trying to maybe worry about what it’s going to look like when you pick up the paper and statistically, are people going to think you’re a good coach? It’s about winning.”

That clarity should help now that the Vikings’ depth is being tested again, which is precisely why they could not afford to trade McCarthy after he lost the competition and moved to No. 3 on the depth chart.

Given Murray’s and Wentz’s injury history, McCarthy might be called upon at some point.

O’Connell gave no update on Murray’s status, other than to note he was in good spirits in the locker room after the game. Wentz continued to show he can be trusted with the keys to the offense however long Murray is out.

“I’ve played a lot of football,” Wentz said. “I feel confident and I believe they feel confident in my abilities. It means a lot that they believe in me.”

Murray’s debut ended prematurely on a scramble. As he went into his slide, his helmet got dislodged by edge rusher Lukas Van Ness from behind. Safety Javon Bullard came in frontside and nailed Murray’s head with a forearm.

Murray’s teammates rushed over and immediately motioned for medical assistance. Athletic trainers tended to Murray on the field before escorting him to the locker room for a concussion evaluation. He was later ruled out.

“For our starting quarterback to go down that early in that way, it was definitely very tough to see,” Jefferson said.

The injury came after an inauspicious start. On the second offensive play of the game, Murray saw a blitz and launched a pass up for grabs toward wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Two Packers defenders were covering Jennings, and the ball was intercepted.

Wentz avoided costly mistakes, though it took some time for the offense to find a rhythm.

He ignited the comeback with a 39-yard touchdown to Jefferson on a free play thanks to the Packers jumping offsides.

The Packers defense came unglued to keep giving Wentz extra chances. A drive that wouldn’t die because of Packers penalties ended with an Aaron Jones touchdown run, followed by Wentz’s laser to Jefferson between defenders for a successful two-point conversion and 25-22 lead.

Then came two more touchdowns to turn the game into a rout.

“There are some games that will stick with you for a long time,” O’Connell said.

The about-face that transpired put this one in that category. That it included more quarterback shuffling is nothing new.

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