J.J. McCarthy Ruled Out Of London Clash With Browns, Carson Wentz To Start

The Minnesota Vikings will be without several key players on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is still nursing an ankle injury.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed early on Friday that McCarthy is unavailable for the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Carson Wentz is expected to start for the third straight week.

“[McCarthy] got through [the week] pretty well,” O’Connell said. “Obviously, with the weather today, my hope was to try to get him some work individually. But with the weather and the tight field space – we’re working on a 100-yard field – we wanted to be smart with that. Very much looking forward to spending some time with him next week and then seeing where he’s at coming out of the bye.”

O’Connell also ruled out centers Ryan Kelly and Michael Jurgens, offensive tackle Brian O’Neill and left guard Donovan Jackson.

McCarthy’s injury occurred during Week 2 in a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The 22-year-old has not practiced with the team since suffering the knock.

Wentz will be looking to build off 350 passing yards and two touchdowns in last week’s defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin. Despite the former North Dakota State quarterback also throwing two interceptions and suffering six sacks, O’Connell is backing Wentz for another upcoming start.

“It’s not going to be comfortable for one snap playing against this defense on Sunday,” O’Connell said. “We know that, one of the best in football. But at the same time, if the guys in the huddle do their jobs and we just get simple execution done at a high level, I think we’re going to compete and have a chance against these guys.”