Conversations about whether or not the 2-1 Minnesota Vikings could keep Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback when J.J. McCarthy recovers from his high right ankle sprain continue to hover over the team ahead of this Sunday’s game versus the 2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers that will take place in Dublin, Ireland.
McCarthy was already ruled out of the Pittsburgh contest before the Vikings made their trip overseas. While speaking with reporters on Friday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said he has “not even thought about” if McCarthy could be available to play against the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Oct. 5.
Minnesota enters its bye week following the Cleveland contest.
Kevin O’Connell shares plan for J.J. McCarthy
“First things first, we wanted to get him here through the flight and see how he did with that flight,” O’Connell said about McCarthy, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “And as we go through the weekend, and then on our way in making the trip to London, he will truly be day to day and we’ll see where he is at [and] if we can start ramping up his workload and at least getting him involved maybe on a limited basis, and allow us to get him on the grass and work some technique and fundamentals, and start building that back up.”
Wentz performed admirably as he completed 14-of-20 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in Minnesota’s 48-10 Week 3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Following that result, O’Connell insisted that McCarthy has “got to get healthy” before the club will consider playing the 2024 first-round draft pick, who spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair.
Why Kevin O’Connell won’t rush J.J. McCarthy back into the lineup
“I really meant it the other day when I said I want him to get 100 percent healthy,” O’Connell added about McCarthy. “I think it’s a part of his game to be able to move. I think he moves a lot better than people give him credit for, especially when he is healthy. And then it also has an application to his ability to be as accurate as he can possibly be, being that it’s his plant foot.”
Earlier this week, one-time Super Bowl MVP and current NFL analyst Phil Simms noted that he was “worried about” how McCarthy was “not throwing the ball well” over his first two starts of the season.
“It’s a lot of work, and it seems like unless he gets to throw it as hard as he can throw it, that’s the only time he somewhat puts it on target, on time, and everything like that,” Simms said about McCarthy at the time.
For now, it sounds like the Vikings are preparing for Wentz to start against Cleveland regardless of what happens at Croke Park this Sunday.
