The Minnesota Vikings (3-2) are set to host the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon in a pivotal NFC showdown.
The Eagles are currently on a two-game losing streak, recently falling by 17 points to the New York Giants. Meanwhile, the Vikings will once again turn to veteran quarterback and ex-Eagles star Carson Wentz, as former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy remains sidelined with an ankle injury.
There had been hope that McCarthy could return by now, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he will likely miss next Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Chargers as well. His target return is currently set for Week 9 on Nov. 2 against the Detroit Lions, which could be a challenging first game back.
“Everybody wants to know when JJ McCarthy will be back. The fact of the matter is when he sprained his ankle in Week 2, it was supposed to be a six-week injury,” Schefter said. “That means it’s unlikely that he’ll be back next week against the Chargers. They’re hopeful he’ll be back the week after at Detroit.”
The Vikings have managed to stay afloat without McCarthy on the field, but his absence raises questions about his young career. He missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury and he’s now missed a significant portion of the 2025 campaign as well.
An interesting scenario could emerge for Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell if Wentz continues to play well and leads Minnesota to victories over the next two weeks, which could potentially make it difficult to justify bringing McCarthy back to replace Wentz, especially if the team sits at 5-2 or even 4-3 heading into the Week 9 matchup against the Lions.
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