Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell delivered some positive injury news on Tuesday, offering encouraging outlooks for quarterback JJ McCarthy and veteran offensive tackle Brian O'Neill.
O'Connell announced that O'Neill suffered an MCL sprain and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Crucially, the Vikings will not place him on injured reserve, suggesting the team expects him back sooner rather than later.
"He avoided the serious-nature knee injuries that, when you first go out there as a head coach and you see him down like that, you're glad you can rule out a lot of those other things," O'Connell said. "I would consider him week-to-week, and with where our bye is, I don't necessarily see short-term IR (Injured Reserve) as being a necessity at this point, just because, with the rules of that not counting toward that time frame."
As for McCarthy, the QB continues to progress toward a potential return to practice this week. While O'Connell did not guarantee McCarthy would be fully cleared, he expressed optimism about the quarterback taking some reps.
O'Connell also noted that linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel will be sidelined from practice this week, as the team continues to monitor his situation.
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