Vikings' J.J. McCarthy in Boot, Responding Well in Ankle Injury Rehab, HC Says

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is "responding well" to early treatment on the ankle sprain that will sideline him for Week 3, head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters Wednesday.

McCarthy is currently wearing a walking boot as part of the treatment, O'Connell said.

"Still heavily involved in meetings, and installs, and everything," O'Connell said about McCarthy. "Had great energy and enthusiasm to attack it in any way he can for now, and that'll be able to build, and progress from there.

"But yeah, he's still in the early stages of it. I know, from a standpoint of some of the things we were hoping early on— we've seem some of that, and it'll continue, hopefully."

Carson Wentz will start Sunday's Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, while Max Brosmer will serve as backup, O'Connell said.

The head coach added that Desmond Ridder, who was with Cincinnati during the preseason, will serve as the team's emergency third quarterback.

McCarthy, who missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a knee injury, made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears in Week 1. After struggling early in the game, McCarthy helped the Vikings mount a late comeback and win 27-24.

The rookie quarterback struggled again in Week 2, throwing two picks and leading no touchdown drives in a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday.

O'Connell later told reporters McCarthy had suffered the injury on a second-and-20 scramble in the third quarter of Sunday's loss, when he "kind of got rolled up" on a tackle. McCarthy briefly received medical attention on the sideline, but returned to finish out the loss.

"We didn't necessarily think it was significant... just got it taped up, and went back in the game," O'Connell said Wednesday. "I think it's one of those things, hearing from our medical staff, one of those things that tends to be much worse today than it probably was in the moment to him, with adrenaline and everything."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that McCarthy had suffered a "high ankle sprain" and was expected to miss between two and four weeks.

The Vikings are likely expecting McCarthy to miss fewer than four games, given that O'Connell said Wednesday the team didn't plan to place him on the injured reserve.

O'Connell will hope to get McCarthy back in action as soon as possible so the Vikings can continue developing their first-year quarterback after his shaky first two starts.

For now, it will be Wentz, who hasn't started a game outside of Week 18 since 2022, taking over the Vikings' offense for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff of Sunday's home game against the Bengals.