EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will likely miss the next game with a sprained ankle, coach Kevin O’Connell said on Monday, and running back Aaron Jones will also be out with a hamstring injury.
McCarthy didn’t miss any time during Minnesota’s 22-6 loss to Atlanta, passing an initial medical evaluation and getting his foot taped up for extra support after the injury occurred late in the third quarter at the end of a 16-yard run. The ankle pain predictably worsened overnight, O’Connell said, and the decision to sideline McCarthy for the game against Cincinnati this Sunday was not performance-related.
The Vikings weren’t planning to put McCarthy on short-term injured reserve, O’Connell said, so his injury status is considered week to week.
Carson Wentz, the 10th-year veteran who just joined the Vikings two weeks ago, will start against the Bengals, who will be without their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow.
McCarthy was under frequent pressure by the Falcons, taking six sacks and 11 hits while going just 11 for 21 for 158 yards, two interceptions and one lost fumble. But it was more by happenstance when he was hurt, on a second-and-20 scramble that netted 16 yards when linebacker Kaden Elliss chased him down with a hard tackle at the sideline as three Falcons converged on him.
McCarthy underthrew a wide-open Justin Jefferson on third-and-9 on the next play after a false start on the Vikings, and he was grimacing as he jogged gingerly off the field.
Wentz, who began his career with Philadelphia as the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, is already the only quarterback in NFL history to start at least one game for five different teams in a five-season span. He’s now on track to extend that record to six teams in six years.
Wentz won’t be the only backup in a critical role for the Vikings, who saw center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Justin Skule enter the concussion protocol during the game on Sunday. They already played Atlanta without edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and backup cornerback Jeff Okudah, who were out with concussions.
Skule has started both games in place of standout Christian Darrisaw, who’s still not cleared in his return from ACL and MCL surgery on his knee. Safety Harrison Smith has also missed the first two games while ramping his conditioning back up after a personal health matter sidelined him in the middle of training camp.
