J.J. McCarthy Injury Update
So, the big news out of Minnesota: J.J. McCarthy sprained his ankle on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons, and, ugh, here we go again, the injury bug has bitten the Vikings’ top draft pick for a second time in as many years.
On X, Seth Kaplan (@Seth_Kaplan) shared a clip of the play where J.J. McCarthy injured his ankle. While noting that there aren’t any great replays, Kaplan pointed out that McCarthy was rolled on during the tackle, leading to the injury.
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) reported on X that, according to ESPN sources, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a high ankle sprain. With McCarthy out, Carson Wentz is set to step in as the starting quarterback for the team.
You’d think the poor guy would catch a break after missing his whole rookie year with that gnarly meniscus tear, but no, this NFL storyline really likes its drama.
McCarthy played every snap in that Falcons loss, gutting it out like a pro, but now the medical team says he’s looking at a “2–4 week” vacation from the starting lineup.
And if you were watching, it wasn’t exactly the electrifying sequel to his come-from-behind debut win. He looked off, hobbling a bit, throwing a couple picks, even fumbling, you could feel it in the crowd’s nervous energy.
Coach Kevin O’Connell praised his rookie’s toughness, recalling how McCarthy got the ankle taped up and soldiered through the pain, adrenaline masking the worst of it until, as O’Connell put it in one postgame, “those things tend to be much worse today than they probably were in the moment”.
That’s grit, but man, you felt for the kid. And the timing stings even harder when you consider McCarthy just missed practice days for the birth of his son, Rome Micah, which ought to be a joy-filled milestone — can the universe chill for a second?.
When Will JJ McCarthy Be Back?
Short answer: McCarthy is targeting a return by October 24 against the Chargers, but it’s not locked in, depends how quickly that ankle heals.
The NFL (@NFL) announced on X that Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is expected to miss Week 3’s game against the Bengals due to injury.
As of now, he’s for sure sitting out Week 3 vs. the Bengals and Week 4 vs. the Steelers (September 12 and 28, respectively), and there’s a good chance he misses Weeks 5 and 6, too, with Cleveland (October 5) and the defending Super Bowl champs Philly (October 19) on the dance card.
It’s like waiting for your phone to repair after you dropped it down the stairs, you hope for a miracle, but you expect the “sorry, we need a new part” call.
Two weeks if he’s a fast healer, four if he’s not, and the Vikings are desperate for good luck. The team is hopeful because O’Connell doesn’t see this as a short-term IR situation (that’s fancy football-speak for “really bad but not season-ending”), but ankles are tricky, dance moves and quarterback scrambles both suffer when one goes wonky.
Personally? If luck is a Vikings fan, McCarthy gets healthy after missing four games tops, and maybe, just maybe, adds some fire to that offense for the rest of the season. Give the man some ice, a Netflix binge, and a sturdy ankle brace.
How Long Is J J McCarthy Out?
To put it plain: expect McCarthy out 2 to 4 weeks, minimum. That means no McCarthy for the Bengals, Steelers, likely Browns, and maybe Eagles, but fingers crossed for his return vs. the Chargers October 24. Here’s the rundown, in less-than-perfect table format (hey, football’s messy):
| Week | Opponent | Date | McCarthy Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Sept 12 | OUT |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Sept 28 | OUT |
| 5 | Cleveland Browns | Oct 5 | OUT (probable) |
| 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | Oct 19 | OUT (possible) |
| 7 | Los Angeles Chargers | Oct 24 | Target return |
All right, so what does Minnesota do meanwhile? Enter backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who is basically the league’s wandering gunslinger, Philly, Indy, DC, Kansas City, and now Minnesota, all in the past few years.
There’s history there: Wentz’s last “real” start was back in 2022 and his Commanders stint ended with a playoff-eliminating whimper. But hey, sometimes a change of scenery (and fewer expectations) works wonders. Good luck, Carson. May your shoes stay velcroed.
A Few Honest Reactions
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McCarthy’s stat line so far? Through two career regular-season games: 24-for-41 (a passable 58.5%), 301 yards, two touchdowns, and three picks, looks uneven, sure, but anyone who followed his Michigan college run knows the potential is there.
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It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Vikings fans who keep telling themselves, “It’s just bad luck, right?” Like there’s a curse on rookie quarterbacks.
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The emotional “dad” subplot? Kind of sweet, and real life, too. Imagine juggling fatherhood and being Minnesota’s face of the future. Hopefully, that fresh perspective helps him bounce back after this setback.
Takeaways for the Season
Look, the Vikings were banking on McCarthy developing quickly, and now the gameplan is paused again, just like last year. It’s like watching your new puzzle pieces arrive with one edge bent, can’t finish the whole picture without fixing it, and now the rest of the team has to step up and improvise.
The fans can only hope Wentz holds it together in the interim, maybe gets some chemistry with star receivers like Adam Thielen, and keeps the playoff hope alive.
Injuries may slow down the hype train, but McCarthy’s resilience, college accolades, and that little bit of luck Minnesotans always pray for, they’re still on the table. From a fan who’s seen far too many twisted ankles derail a promising year: heal fast, JJ. We'll all be waiting.
