Vikings' JJ McCarthy expected to be out 2-4 weeks with high-ankle sprain: report

Tom Brady and Colin Cowherd discuss how former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy is set up for success with the Minnesota Vikings following their Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury, and after just two games of the 2025 campaign, he’s expected to miss more time.

McCarthy is expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain suffered in Sunday night’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday morning that McCarthy was "very sore" after the injury, and he would likely be missing Week 3’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are dealing with their own quarterback issues, as Joe Burrow could miss most of the regular season because surgery is needed to recover from turf toe suffered Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings warms up against the Atlanta Falcons before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

"We are not planning on having [McCarthy] for Sunday," O’Connell told reporters. "I don’t see this being any kind of short-term IR thing, but I do want to see how he responds to treatment this week."

FALCONS RUN OVER VIKINGS TO SPOIL HOME OPENER AS JJ MCCARTHY STRUGGLES

McCarthy was sacked six times in the 22-6 loss in the Vikings’ home opener on Sunday night, and he was sacked three times in a thrilling come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Bears in his NFL debut. But McCarthy didn’t have any fourth-quarter magic this time, as he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a struggling