MN Vikings Schedule Allows for Hope

It seemed like a crushing blow on Monday when Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell stepped up to the podium and delivered some grim news. J.J. McCarthy has a sprained ankle and won’t be playing this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals.

And thanks, in part, to the Vikings’ upcoming overseas travel schedule, he could be out until week 7, when Minnesota returns from their week 6 bye. Since being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy’s young career has been marred by injuries.

Last year, he tore his meniscus in the preseason opener, which required season-ending surgery. Meaning, the questionable tackle will cost the Michigan alum his 18th of 20 possible NFL games, since the Vikings drafted him 1.5 years ago.

And let’s be real, in the two games of which he has participated, JJ McCarthy was incredibly underwhelming in seven of the eight quarters. And now, he will begrudingly hand the keys off to newly acquired Carson Wentz, who hasn’t been a regular starter in the league since 2021.

Soft landing without McCarthy for Minnesota Vikings

But there is hope on the horizon for Minnesota Vikings fans and their temporary QB1. While the circumstances are far from ideal, the team’s upcoming schedule should help lighten the load on everyone involved.

Not only do the Vikings get a Joe Burrowless Bengals this weekend, but after that they fly overseas, where they are 8-0 (4-0 regular season) historically, for games against two “meh” AFC North teams in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Over the weekend, Cincinnati was dealt a quarterback blow of their own, when Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that requires surgery. He is expected to be out roughly three months.

That means the Minnesota Vikings will face their own former backup, Jake Browning, at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, not one of the best young quarterbacks in football (and Justin Jefferson’s former LSU QB).

You can bet Kevin O’Connell remembers that overtime loss (27-24 Cincinnati on December 16, 2023), against the Bengals, which featured Browning running his mouth on the sideline.

Bengals QB Jake Browning yesterday during the game vs the Vikings:

“You should have never f**king cut me!”

📸: @Bengals pic.twitter.com/s0jcnyXziV

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) December 17, 2023

Related: Confusing JJ McCarthy Return Timeline Muddied Even More by Vikings’ Flight Plans

If there’s a situation the Vikings could have drawn up to traverse into their new reality, a backup quarterback coming in as the road team is probably high up on the list.

Europe remains kind to MN Vikings

After their home tilt against Cincinnati, Minnesota will fly across the pond for two weeks (with or without JJ McCarthy). First they open the NFL’s presence in Ireland with a game against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, in Dublin.

Then, it’s a short flight south to London, where they will play the Cleveland Browns. Both games were scheduled as road contests. Now, they will be neutral site affairs where the “road” team has never lost a game.

The Vikings have seen Rodgers plenty, and Brian Flores will have the defense ready to attack him and a rather unassuming Steelers skill position group. In fact, B-Flo’s defense beat Aaron Rodgers and the Jets last season, in London.

He looked like a better version of himself in week one of this season (22-30, 244 yards, 4 TD), but A-Rodg came crashing back down to earth (18-33, 203 yards, TD, 2 INT) in week two against the Seahawks.

Stephon Gilmore picks Rodgers, Vikings survive pic.twitter.com/gRVgHojG0Z

— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 6, 2024

Related: Breaking: JJ McCarthy Out with Ankle Injury for MN Vikings

Sure, the Minnesota Vikings won’t have JJ McCarthy, but Carson Wentz has won plenty in this league and may even represent a better chance to win now, than the redshirt rookie, who has struggled to keep his head above water during his first two NFL games.

Wentz has been in the building for weeks now, and he will have had ample time to prepare for O’Connell’s offense. He possesses similar athleticism to McCarthy and can move in the pocket. Ideally though, the offense line returns to a near-clean bill of health and is able to provide him significant protection.

New #Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz: “You walk down the halls, and see [pictures of] all the guys you grew up cheering for. It’s definitely cool to be back.” pic.twitter.com/3HwtA6WBWp

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 28, 2025

The Browns are still the same old Browns and probably always be, a less former Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski has found out the hard way. Joe Flacco was benched last week, in a 41-17 drubbing by the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, rookie Dillon Gabriel could be the guy in London. No matter their QB, these are some of the more winnable games on Minnesota’s schedule this entire season.

Bye provides reprieve for Minnesota

After the impending three-game stretch, the Minnesota Vikings get to their bye. An early bye week certainly wasn’t ideal when the schedule came out, but it may not hit at a better time for Kevin O’Connell’s team.

The additional week off would give the Vikings time to reset and regroup. It’s an additional week for McCarthy to heal while not missing any game action. It gives Wentz and the offense time to continue working without having to expose anything on the field.

Related: Kevin O’Connell Wasted No Time Delivering Legendary Message

After an ugly performance on Sunday Night Football, the Vikings are 1-1 but their schedule provides a path forward, even in the face of injuries and QB development curves. Now, it’s up to them to take advantage of such a timely gift in scheduling.

And they need to figure things out because the middle portion of Minnesota’s schedule, with games against Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Baltimore, is where the gauntlet lies. Getting to that stretch in a good spot is imperative. With the injured state of the team, and what lies ahead, the schedule couldn’t shape up more kindly.