The Minnesota Vikings have been a tale of two sides of the ball through the first month of the season. At 2-2, their defense ranks first in the NFL in EPA per play, while their offense ranks 29th, per Next Gen Stats.
Minnesota's offense had an early wrench thrown into their season, as rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a sprained ankle in the Vikings' Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. However, many theorized that head coach Kevin O'Connell used the injury as a way to quietly bench the Michigan product after a very slow start to the season and two very bad interceptions against the Falcons. However, Dianna Russini of The Athletic put those rumors to rest.
"I've been told by multiple sources that McCarthy isn't healthy, and while the target return has been Week 7 against the Eagles, it could still be longer," Russini writes. She continued in a post on X.
"A few in the league have wondered whether Minnesota might be hiding behind J.J. McCarthy’s injury to buy more time. But Kevin O’Connell has earned the benefit of the doubt. And according to multiple sources, any conspiracies are unfounded."
The Vikings will start Carson Wentz for the third consecutive game this Sunday in London to take on the Cleveland Browns, and will look to keep pace in the NFC North, as the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions have both looked terrific through four games.
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