J.J. McCarthy Injury: Carson Wentz to Start At Least 2 Games for Vikings After Jake Browning Replaces Joe Burrow

It was only the second week of the 2025 regular season, but the NFL is already beginning to lose some of its biggest stars to injuries. The sophomore sensation, Jayden Daniels, is questionable for Week 3 due to a knee strain. This year’s debutante, J.J. McCarthy, has already been ruled out for the week with a high-ankle sprain, and perhaps worst of all, Joe Burrow is now expected to be out for several weeks, or months, even.

According to reports, McCarthy actually picked up the injury during his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears, and subsequently re-aggravated it during the Sunday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

ESPN sources: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is expected to be sidelined two-to-four weeks with a high ankle sprain.

With McCarthy out, Vikings QB Carson Wentz is now in line to start. pic.twitter.com/iZ1qvackMV

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2025

The Cincinnati Bengals seem to have found their man in Jake Browning, who took over for Burrow just before halftime and still managed to navigate them towards victory. In the case of the Minnesota Vikings, however, the answer to their QB1’s absence will have to come from a weathered Carson Wentz.

Ironically enough, the Bengals and the Vikings are slated to play each other in Week 3, meaning that fans will be treated to a Wentz versus Browning showdown in the midst of this coming Sunday’s afternoon slate. Suffice to say, the Under will likely be a popular talking point come game day.

For Wentz, it’s yet another example of how quickly things can change in the NFL. Just a few weeks prior to the start of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles traded him to Minnesota, along with a fifth- and seventh-round pick, in exchange for Sam Howell.

After seeing a total of 19 pass attempts throughout the last calendar year, he’ll now get another opportunity to start in an NFL game. Given both his age and journeyman status, it’s safe to assume that this could be one of the last few starts of his career.

At the same time, however, that could provide an extra bit of motivation for the 32-year-old Wentz, who could extend his time in the league with a win against the Bengals on Sunday. Of course, Cincinnati has no interest in just letting that happen, especially with their level of playoff aspirations.

It’s also worth noting that Wentz was at the helm for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ final game of the 2024 regular season. Heading into the contest, it was widely known that a Denver Broncos loss would allow the Bengals into the playoffs, while a Broncos win would eliminate them.

Wentz and the rest of the Chiefs’ backup crew proceeded to score 0 points, ensuring that the Bengals never had a chance. There are likely a few people in Cincinnati’s locker room who remember that, so despite the lack of overall QB talent, this game will certainly be worth a watch on Sunday afternoon.