The Minnesota Vikings are on an extended European vacation, but it probably hasn't been all that fun for J.J. McCarthy.
The second-year quarterback missed the Week 4 Dublin loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his injury doesn't appear to be shaping up to allow him to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 in London, either.
McCarthy hasn't participated in practice either Wednesday or Thursday due to his ongoing ankle injury.
Carson Wentz looks set to start again for Minnesota.
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Wentz won his first start, over the Cincinnati Bengals, before the narrow loss to the Steelers last week.
McCarthy had also been 1-1 in his two starts, so the Vikings enter the matchup with the Browns with a 2-2 mark.
The second-year QB McCarthy was sharp in the fourth quarter of the season opener to lead a comeback win, but other than that, he was mostly underwhelming in his small sample size.
Wentz has been pretty efficient so far, so he hasn't been a bad fill-in option for McCarthy.
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The Vikings are facing a team with a worse quarterback situation. The Browns relied on 40-year old Joe Flacco for four weeks, but they're turning to third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel to make his first NFL start against the Vikings.
Minnesota shouldn't need McCarthy to win this week. There shouldn't even be a need for a masterpiece from Wentz.
The defense should be able to handle Gabriel and get the job done while the Vikings await the eventual return of their own young quarterback.
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