The bad news on J.J. McCarthy seemed to come out of nowhere for the Minnesota Vikings.
But on Monday, head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters that McCarthy isn't expected to play in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, due to an ankle injury.
McCarthy did limp off the field late in Sunday night's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and apparently it was a bad enough knock to have him already deemed out of action for the next game.
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It was a rough Sunday night for McCarthy. He was sacked six times and threw a pair of interceptions.
In his debut a week earlier, McCarthy led a valiant fourth quarterback comeback to win thanks to two TD passes and a TD run all in the final frame.
But in his other seven quarters so far, McCarthy simply hasn't been quite good enough.
It's tough timing on the injury, because McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and is now only two games into his debut campaign that was delayed by a year.
The Vikings will have to turn to Carson Wentz, the experienced backup and former No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Wentz was a free agent for almost the entire offseason before Minnesota signed him late in the summer while also trading presumed backup Sam Howell away to the Eagles.
It's not immediately clear how long McCarthy will be out.
But the Vikings, now 1-1, will be counting on Wentz to keep their playoff hopes afloat in the meantime.
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