If you’re wondering why J.J. McCarthy isn’t playing, check the calendar

The Vikings not providing a timeline created confusion, but the truth about McCarthy’s recovery is straightforward.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy during 2025 training camp. | Image courtesy of the Minnesota Viking

Anyone shocked that J.J. McCarthy still hasn't returned from the high ankle sprain that he suffered in Week 2 needs to do nothing more than look at a calendar to get a reality check.

Medical resources, including easily searchable sites like WebMD and Cleveland Clinic, explicitly say high ankle sprains take longer than low ankle sprains to recover, and the average recovery time for a high ankle sprain is 6-8 weeks.

Friday, Oct. 17, marks four weeks and five days since McCarthy suffered the injury in Minnesota's Sept. 14 game against the Atlanta Falcons. On that alone, how in the world is anyone surprised that McCarthy isn't fully healthy and ready to return to the starting lineup?

And no, this does not appear to be a "soft benching," as many have speculated after McCarthy struggled in seven of eight quarters to start his NFL career.

Sure, McCarthy didn't have good numbers in seven of eight quarters against the Bears and Falcons. But he did complete 6 of 8 passes while totaling 103 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Chicago. The Atlanta game was mostly trash, but the Vikings played that night without seven key players and McCarthy suffered the ankle sprain late in the third quarter.

"I will continue to reiterate: This is not some type of soft benching for J.J. McCarthy. He had a legit high ankle sprain back in Week 2," Tom Pelissero said Friday on NFL Network.

"Those are generally four-to-six-week injuries," Pelissero added. "As I reported on Sunday and J.J. confirmed a couple of days ago, that ankle is still not 100%. It impacts his mobility. The Vikings want to make sure he is not just fully healthy when he gets back on the field, but also that he's fully ready to go out and play well. That requires reps, which have been in short supply basically since J.J. McCarthy got into the league as the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft."

Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rushes for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Pelissero says McCarthy's injury timeline was 4-6 weeks. The medical sites say high ankle sprains can take 6-8 weeks to heal. If McCarthy needs a full six weeks to play without pain, then you can rest assured that he won't play next Thursday against the Chargers, likely putting his return in Week 9 when the Vikings visit the Lions.

If he needs eight weeks, which by no account is expected, then his return wouldn't come until the Nov. 9 game against Baltimore. November 9 just happens to be exactly eight weeks from the day McCarthy was injured.

McCarthy was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, while Wentz was a full participant on Thursday despite dealing with an injury to his left shoulder.

"Wentz appears to be good to go on Sunday against the Eagles," Pelissero said.

There really is no mystery about McCarthy's injury. The Vikings just made the mistake of failing to provide a realistic timeline for his return. And without an official timeline, people are going to make up their own stories about what they think is happening. It's worth noting that the Vikings could've put McCarthy on IR if they suspected he was going to miss at least four weeks, but then he couldn't have practiced this week — and they only get a certain amount of short-term IR placements in a season.

The one certain thing is that if Wentz leads the Vikings to wins over the Eagles and Chargers, it's going to be difficult to take the starting job away from him when McCarthy is ready to return.