Kevin O’Connell Announces Vikings’ QB Decision Amid J.J. McCarthy’s Injury Update

Starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy did not take to the gridiron in the Minnesota Vikings‘ 48-10 blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. And per the latest update, it looks like it’s going to be a while before he gets game time again.

The Vikings have already ruled out McCarthy for Sunday’s clash against the Steelers in Dublin. McCarthy has been recovering from a high-ankle sprain, and the Vikings have opted to give him time to heal instead of getting him out on the field too soon, only to regret it later.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell, in his press conference, explained the importance of the QB’s complete recovery.

“I believe J.J. would go out there and tough it out, you know, today, tomorrow, if we asked him to,” O’Connell began. “To me, at this point in a very young career, his mobility is one of his weapons that has clearly already shown to be something that’s a positive for him. So we want to make sure he’s healthy and allow this to be something that we can put in the rearview mirror and continue on with, you know, where he’s at in his young career here.”

McCarthy got hurt last week when Falcons’ linebacker Kaden Ellis landed on his ankle. Rookie LG Donovan Jackson injured his wrist in that game, and although he took the field against the Bengals, he had surgery and is expected to be back for the Vikings’ Week 7 clash against the Eagles.

He continued, ‘‘But yeah, we’re going to take it a day at a time. He responded well to treatment early on. He’s out of the boot and now it just becomes the phase of high ankle, kind of rehab that, you know, we’re going to hopefully be able to get him.”

Like Jackson, McCarthy, too, is expected to be back for the Eagles game following the bye week. But the question is, will O’Connell go with him even when he is fit?

J.J. McCarthy’s status remains uncertain.

Kevin O’Connell refused to comment on the certainty of having J.J. McCarthy as a starter when he is healthy, emphasizing patience and prep over getting him back too quickly. “First and foremost, he’s got to get healthy,” O’Connell told reporters. ”And then, I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s, hey, he’s healthy the night before a game, we’re going to throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing.”

This uncertainty can be because of how the first two games went for the quarterback.

Apart from the late surge in the Week 1 comeback win over the Bears, where the QB threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another score, McCarthy was one of the worst-performing QBs over the opening two weeks of the season. He held the ball for an average of 3.15 seconds (second most in the league) before throwing and suffered a 16.7% sack rate—clear indications of his own struggles in making quick decisions and poor pass protection.

Meanwhile, Carson Wentz, who’s going to start until at least McCarthy’s return, really stepped up against the Bengals, going 14 of 20 for 173 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in what was Minnesota’s best offensive display this season.

“All I can say is I had a blast out there,” Wentz stated post-game. Well, this could be the beginning of a long party for him if he continues to impress.