by: Nick Kosko 13 minutes ago nickkosko59
Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy is expected to miss two to four weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Initially, he was expected to miss Sunday’s startagainst the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, he’ll be out potentially a month.
The Bengals lost their starting quarterback Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury that is going to require surgery. With McCarthy out, it appears to be a battle of backup quarterbacks with Carson Wentz filling in for McCarthy and Jake Browning filling in for Burrow.
It’s unclear exactly when McCarthy suffered the injury. He played every snap for Minnesota against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. That came in a losing effort. It’s also possible that the nagging injury caused what could only be seen as a step back in play for the young signal caller.
In his first game as the starting quarterback for Minnesota, McCarthy completed 65 percent of his passes for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. That would come in a winning effort against the Chicago bears. However, in his second game, McCarthy completed just 52.4 percent of his passes for 158 yards and two interceptions.
Injuries have troubled McCarthy early in his professional career. He would miss his entire rookie season in 2024 with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Now, he’s dealing with the sprained ankle, which likely won’t cost him the season but is now going to cost him some time early in the year.