The first two games as a starter for J.J. McCarthy have been far from what the Minnesota Vikings may have been expecting. After turning a slow start against the Chicago Bears into a miraculous fourth-quarter turnaround, Week 2 confirmed that the turnaround was indeed a miracle.
Struggling throughout the night, Minnesota could only manage six points on the night with zero touchdowns, as they were blown away by the Atlanta Falcons 22-6. However, for the Vikings, the situation could go from bad to worse as they try to incorporate a first-time starter into the mix.
J.J. McCarthy Suffers Unfortunate Injury
The final score was a blow to Minnesota as it is. But the performance from McCarthy made it a tough pill to swallow. Whether it was through the air or on the ground, the youngster struggled in nearly every facet of the game.
But for a young quarterback trying to learn the ropes of the NFL, the game could have been attributed to growing pains. Unfortunately, as head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed, the blow became significantly worse.
Adam Schefter confirmed the news on X, sharing a video of O’Connell in the press conference. The reigning NFL Coach of the Year informed reporters, “J.J. McCarthy did come in very, very sore today with the ankle sprain.”
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell on J.J. McCarthy’s ankle sprain that will more than likely sideline him vs. Cincinnati: pic.twitter.com/YxeNoc4Far
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2025
Continuing, he did not give a definitive timeline on his recovery process. “I would anticipate that we are not planning on having him for Sunday.”
The Vikings HC said that he didn’t believe the situation would require a trip to the injured reserve list, but he did not provide an exact timeline until further diagnosis was available.
Schefter then posted another update on McCarthy and revealed that the second-year quarterback is expected to miss “two-to-four weeks with a high ankle sprain.”
The organization’s biggest concern will now be McCarthy’s durability. Drafted as a first-round pick last year, he missed the entire season after the first preseason game. Even though he completed that game as well, a soreness in his knee turned out to be a torn meniscus, which derailed his entire year.
The one saving grace, as it pertains to Minnesota for this particular game, is that the Bengals are also going to be without their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow, who has been ruled out for the next three months with a grade-three toe turf injury.
But, in the long term, the play from McCarthy in Week 2 is simply not going to cut it. Sacked six times on the night, he was brought down with stiff tackles on his five rushing attempts as well.
It resulted in a game where he barely completed 50% of his passes, threw for just 158 yards, and recorded two interceptions, finishing with a passer rating of 37.5. Additionally, he also fumbled the ball thrice, including a third turnover when he failed to recover it.
The Vikings should be in a better position with Carson Wentz as their starting QB after two weeks of seeing what J.J. McCarthy can produce. At his worst, Wentz’ PFSN QBi grade landed at 61.7 during the 2020 season. A figure that ranked him 32nd that season.
Through two games this season, McCarthy’s PFSN QBi is 54.1, which ranks 33rd among all qualifying quarterbacks. Given the fact that McCarthy’s grade is heavily buoyed by his rushing success, the potential upgrade comes from Wentz’s career positive EPA per dropback compared to McCarthy’s -0.52 figure he currently sports.
The barrage of hits on his body was becoming a sickening sight to witness. If the Vikings are hoping for a change of fortune and for McCarthy to develop into the star they projected him to be as a former first-round pick, then his play style needs some alterations.
