Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said J.J. McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 2’s loss to the Falcons and is unlikely to play vs. the Bengals.

15 September 2025

O’Connell said McCarthy came into the facilities on Monday sore with an ankle sprain and added that the team doesn’t anticipate him playing in Week 3’s game against the Bengals. McCarthy struggled again in his second career start on Sunday night against the Falcons, throwing for 158 yards and two interceptions while also taking six sacks and losing one of his three fumbles on the night. O’Connell has already said the team is preparing Carson Wentz to start on Sunday, suggesting McCarthy missing this week is all but a lock. We’ll see if anything changes when the team’s first injury report is released, but for now, we would expect to see Wentz into center into a game that is now the battle between backup QBs.