Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy delivered a dramatic comeback in his first NFL start, guiding his team to a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Now he’ll need a comeback of a different kind.
According to Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell, the young quarterback suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday night’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. O’Connell stated that it is “unlikely” that McCarthy will be able to play this coming weekend, when Minnesota takes on the Cincinnati Bengals.
That puts Carson Wentz in line to make his first start as a member of the Vikings.
O’Connell also indicated that any absence for McCarthy would “purely” be injury-related:
If it is indeed Wentz on Sunday against Cincinnati, that would make the game a contest of the backups. The Bengals lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow to an injury on Sunday, as the Cincinnati starter suffered a toe injury that included torn ligaments. Burrow’s injury requires surgery, which will sideline him for around three months.
Minnesota signed Wentz as a free agent in late August, after trading Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz’s last start came with the Los Angeles Rams in the regular-season finale a year ago, with the Rams having already locked up their playoff spot.
Update: In an update from Adam Schefter, the ESPN insider noted that McCarthy is expected to be sidelined “two-to-four weeks” with a high-ankle sprain.
