Vikings Reportedly 'Very Pleased with Carson Wentz' amid J.J. McCarthy's Injury Rehab

Entering their Week 6 bye with a 3-2 record, much of the focus for the Minnesota Vikings when they return will be centered around J.J. McCarthy's status after Carson Wentz led the team to two wins in three starts.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings have been "very pleased with Carson Wentz" after he was called into action due to McCarthy's ankle injury.

McCarthy suffered the injury in the third quarter of Minnesota's Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain that was expected to keep him out of action for at least two to four weeks.

However, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Oct. 4 that Minnesota's medical staff actually projected a four-to-six week recovery timeline for McCarthy.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters on Monday that McCarthy is staying in Minneapolis during the bye week and will return to practice with the team.

"It will be this week. He'll be here. We'll be able to get him some extensive work, kind of as we lead into next week, and then I anticipate his workload building up," O'Connell said. "We're going to really take advantage of that bonus Monday, not only with him, but with our whole team."

Wentz is also dealing with an injury to his left shoulder, which he suffered late in the first half of Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns, but he was able to finish out the game. The 32-year-old is completing 69.0 percent of his attempts for 759 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in three starts.

Russini noted that Week 7 has always been the targeted return date for McCarthy, but the Vikings won't rush him back if they don't feel like he's ready.

There's no indication that the Vikings have considered benching McCarthy amid his initial struggles this season. One person told Russini there's "nothing to see here" about any potential attempts to hide the second-year quarterback.

McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus, threw for 301 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions with a 58.5 completion percentage in his first two career starts.

The Vikings enter their bye week with a 3-2 record and a looming showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 19. Wentz's performance has allowed the team to remain within one game of the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North.

Even though it sounds like McCarthy will eventually return to the starting role when he's healthy, the Vikings can feel confident knowing they will be able to rely on Wentz if they need to call on him again this season.