Carson Wentz was beat up in the Minnesota Vikings‘ 37-10 loss Thursday night, but their coach Kevin O’Connell shared that Wentz may get a break after their mini-bye.
O’Connell offered an update on quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s progress and shared his belief that the Vikings’ starter will be able to return from an ankle injury that has kept him out since Week 2.
Wentz was battered by the Los Angeles Chargers to the tune of five sacks and nine hits while being pressured 26 times in their 27-point loss that got out of hand in the second half. Wentz also appeared to be nursing his throwing shoulder after taking a bruising hit from Troy Dye in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings (3-4) have dropped three of four and are somehow alone in last place in the NFC North — two games back of the Chicago Bears. They’ll take on the Detroit Lions on Nov. 2 at Ford Field next.
If J.J. McCarthy ‘Is Healthy, J.J. Will Play’
Vikings fans are rightfully wondering if O’Connell has been gaslighting them, since he has constantly been “encouraged” by the QB’s progress only to hear Wentz’s name as the starting QB.
But even though the Vikings were the sacrificial lambs — going across multiple time zones on a short week after a brutal, gut-wrenching home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday — the prize for enduring the Thursday Night Football game is an extra three days to recover.
That could especially aid the Vikings in their hopes of getting McCarthy back, especially since he was well enough to be the emergency third QB in LA on Thursday.
“We worked out J.J., and he was close, and J.J. and the medical staff didn’t feel like he was there yet,” O’Connell said. “There was a lot of encouragement, especially with the time we have and where he’s at and the confidence level he thinks he can get to — if J.J.’s healthy, J.J. will play.
“I believe we’re right around the corner from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation and go compete. That’s what he wants; that’s what he’s working towards.”
J.J. McCarthy’s Ankle Injury Took ‘On The Longer Side’ To Recover, According To Kevin O’Connell
A high-ankle sprain is a hard injury for an NFL player to recover from, especially one who, like McCarthy, plays his home games on turf.
Still, it sounds like McCarthy is going to play next Sunday in Detroit against the 5-2 Lions. If that’s the case, he’ll have missed five games and the Vikings bye week — which was serendipitously timed in Week 6 after their game in London against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That amount of time lost is appropriate, per O’Connell, even though it took a little longer than Minnesota would’ve liked.
“I know there were a lot of estimates on what the injury timeline and everything with a high-ankle [sprain],” O’Connell said. “It ended up being on the longer end but about what we thought [it would be].”
Wentz ended up finishing the game, but O’Connell wasn’t sure what his status was either, which could complicate things further — especially if McCarthy isn’t well enough to play in Detroit next weekend.
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