09/15/25 02:47:00
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09/15 14:45 CDT Vikings QB McCarthy's sprained ankle will keep him out for next
game vs. Burrow-less Bengals
Vikings QB McCarthy's sprained ankle will keep him out for next game vs.
Burrow-less Bengals
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Pro Football Writer
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) --- 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.
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