Vikings Unlikely to Have Two Offensive Starters in Week Three
On September 15th, 2025, the Minnesota Vikings announced that they would likely be without starting QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Aaron Jones for at least the Week Three matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals. The Vikings are also optimistic that offensive linemen C Ryan Kelly and LT Justin Skule can clear concussion protocol, per head coach Kevin O’Connell. All four injuries occurred in the 22-6 Sunday Night Football loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings will gameplan for Carson Wentz and Jordan Mason to take over for McCarthy and Jones, respectively, in the coming weeks.
The primetime game between the Falcons and the Vikings was certainly a game no one expected, but not in a good way. Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson flew out of the gates with nearly 100 first-half rushing yards, but the game featured seven combined field goals, with the only touchdown scored by Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier with less than four minutes left in the game. The Falcons' defense recorded six sacks and three turnovers on J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy’s lack of pocket presence or overall protection from his offensive line may have caused the high ankle sprain that designated him as week-to-week. McCarthy was quite literally running for his life and could not get any momentum with the Vikings’ offense, except for a few good throws, including a 50-yard pass to Justin Jefferson as the first half was winding down. McCarthy, who spent his entire rookie season in 2024 recovering from a torn meniscus, finished the game but will look to Carson Wentz to hold down the fort versus the Bengals at home and potentially the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, and the Browns in London.
The Bengals will also be without their starting quarterback as Joe Burrow will require surgery for the turf toe suffered in the Week Two win over the Jaguars, sidelining him for at least three months. In less than 24 hours, fans went from Joe Burrow and J.J. McCarthy to Jake Browning and Carson Wentz. In addition to the injury at quarterback, the Vikings are not expecting RB Aaron Jones to play versus the Bengals due to a hamstring injury suffered in the fourth quarter that is still being evaluated. These injuries are a massive blow to the Vikings' playoff chances, as their offense was struggling well before these players were ruled out or unlikely to play in Week Three. In place of Jones, the Vikings will turn to Jordan Mason, who stepped in for the 49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey in previous years, showing much success.
The Vikings are being plagued by injuries, as outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah are still in concussion protocol. Christian Darrisaw is still recovering from a 2024 ACL injury, and Harrison Smith is battling an illness that began in late August. Adding McCarthy and Jones to the list, the 1-1 Vikings may fall victim to a nasty downslide in a tough NFC North, but luckily, the next few opponents are out-of-conference teams, which plays a small part in playoff tiebreakers as the season progresses. Everyone wants good, clean football. No one wants to see injuries, so not only fans in Minnesota but fans nationwide are hoping for a speedy recovery from all affected parties.
