Two games into his injury-riddled career, J.J. McCarthy is already back on the sidelines with a pesky ankle injury. With Carson Wentz looking strong in his Week 3 debut, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell will not commit to a specific timeline for McCarthy's return.
The team initially reported that McCarthy could miss up to four weeks with an ankle sprain. It was further suggested that the Vikings were targeting a Week 7 return, following the team's Week 6 bye, but O'Connell shut down that notion as “inaccurate,” according to ‘The Athletic.'
“What is accurate is the idea that I believe J.J. would go out there and tough it out today or tomorrow if we asked him to,” O'Connell said, via ‘The Athletic.' “To me, at this point in a very young career, his mobility is one of his weapons that has clearly already been shown to be something that's a positive for him. So we want to make sure he's healthy.”
O'Connell noted that McCarthy will not return until he has had a full week of practice. He believes that missing practice during Week 2 contributed to the quarterback's poor performance against the Atlanta Falcons. McCarthy briefly left the team while his wife gave birth to their first child.
“We saw, as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game, he did miss practice that week. And when you're in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can't cut corners on that.”
Vikings thrive with Carson Wentz under center in Week 3
While the Vikings would love to have McCarthy healthy, they hardly struggled without him in Week 3. Minnesota turned to veteran Carson Wentz in his stead, who guided the team to a 48-10 victory over the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals.
The performance sparked debate among fans who wondered if Wentz should remain the starter over McCarthy. O'Connell would not address the situation, but the sentiment is a complete over-exaggeration.
As impressive as the team was, Wentz was nothing more than a high-level game manager. He ended the game with just 173 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Wentz was an excellent substitute, but the Vikings did not need him, as cornerback Isaiah Rodgers scored two defensive touchdowns and set new franchise records. Rodgers and the defense dominated a limited offense, holding Cincinnati to just 171 total yards.
Wentz's first real test will come in Week 4, when the Vikings welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to U.S. Bank Stadium. Despite their defensive concerns, the Steelers have gotten off to a 2-1 start.
