When the Minnesota Vikings take the field against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 in London, it will be the third-straight game quarterback J.J. McCarthy misses.
McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons and has not participated in a practice since then. The Vikings enter Sunday's game with a 1-1 record with veteran Carson Wentz under center.
The good news for Minnesota is that it has a bye in Week 6, so McCarthy gets an extra week to heal up and get ready for Week 7 without missing another game.
But will he make it back by then? Here's what we know.
J.J. McCarthy injury update
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, McCarthy is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, and the Vikings' medical staff believes it is a four-to-six-week issue for the young signal-caller.
The medical staff projected a four-to-six week recovery, and coach Kevin O’Connell has been clear that McCarthy won’t play until he’s had a full week of practice.
That is a departure from an initial report that placed the Michigan product's return timeline at about two to four weeks.
J.J. McCarthy's return timeline
With the game on Sunday and after the bye next week, McCarthy will have sat out for four straight weeks, so he should be inching closer to his return.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has made it clear that McCarthy will not suit up until he turns in a full week of practice, something he has yet to do. In fact, he hasn't practiced at all. Until that happens, don't expect him back.
That said, Week 7 is now the earliest we could see McCarthy, but if it takes on the higher end of the aforementioned timeline, we may not see him until Week 8 or 9.
The Vikings' next three games won't be any walk in the park, with Minnesota drawing the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions.
Minnesota will hope Wentz can weather the storm until McCarthy's return, but there are certainly doubts about his ability to do so, especially with the Vikings' offensive line as banged-up as it is.
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