The Minnesota Vikings fell to the Atlanta Falcons 22-6 Sunday Night Football and received some bad news after the final whistle was blown.
Following the game on Monday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell met with the media. During the press conference O’Connell announced the status of starting quarterback JJ McCarthy saying, “I would anticipate we are not planning on having him for Sunday”. McCarthy suffered an ankle sprain during Minnesota’s loss to the Falcons that was taped and played through per O’Connell.
He added that the Vikings, “Don’t likely see this being any kind of short term IR thing”. At the end of his comments, O’Connell added that the coaching and training staff’s want to see how McCarthy responds to treatment this week before making any decisions beyond this week.
Additionally, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that sources are telling him that McCarthy will miss 2-4 weeks with his sprained ankle.
As of Monday afternoon the Vikings have former NDSU QB Carson Wentz listed as the team’s backup with former Golden Gopher QB, Max Brosmer listed No. 3 on the depth chart.
The Vikings are set to host the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals this upcoming Sunday, September 21 before heading to Dublin and London for their Week’s Four and Five games.
Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has announced J.J. McCarthy has an ankle sprain and he will more than likely miss the team's Week 3 game against Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/01AhkeMpRK
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2025
