Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

‘Amazing. Ready to Go,’ – J.J. McCarthy to Return for the Vikings for Crucial Week 9 Game against the Lions on Sunday

J.J. McCarthy confident of return ahead of Week 9 clash against the Lions!

Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After missing the entirety of his rookie season due to a meniscus injury, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy finally got his chance to shine at the NFL level. That moment, however, was very short-lived as he ended up with a high ankle sprain in the Vikings’ Week 2 game against the Falcons.

By Week 3, McCarthy was back on the sidelines and ended up missing the next 5 games as he watched his team fall to a 3-4 record with backup Carson Wentz under center. The Vikings are currently last in the NFC North, and their upcoming game is of utmost importance as they take on the mighty Detroit Lions.

J.J. McCarthy Ready for Return

After a more than rocky start to his NFL career, J.J. McCarthy probably would have hoped for an easier assignment instead of the Detroit Lions for his return. It is what it is, and McCarthy, who believes he has recovered completely from his ankle injury, is raring to get back out on the field.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, when asked about his ankle, McCarthy said, “Amazing. Ready to go. I feel like myself again. I feel like I had those mobility things that I was concerned about going into last week and the prior weeks. So, yeah, ready to go.”

After Wednesday’s practice session, the Vikings also listed McCarthy as a full participant in their latest injury report, providing another strong indication that he will be the man under center against the Lions on Sunday.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy took all of the first-team reps in practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a high right ankle sprain Sept. 14.

"I'm ready to go," McCarthy said. "I feel like myself again." https://t.co/7qsdY7vyE5
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 29, 2025

How Important is J.J. McCarthy’s Return for the Vikings?

Just exactly what was going on in Minnesota is not as clear as day and night. McCarthy, who suffered a high ankle sprain, ended up missing 5 games with speculation that Minnesota was holding back his return.

In the meantime, Wentz led the Vikings to a 2-3 record in his 5 starts, but was playing under obvious pain in his non-throwing arm. Last week, he finished the game against the Chargers despite the evident pain and then opted to undergo surgery, bringing an end to his season.

Extremely confident and ready to get after it pic.twitter.com/MzTWID79Wm
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 29, 2025

That raises the question of whether or not McCarthy was actually ready to take the field earlier, but was kept out for an extended period. In any case, it is McCarthy’s time under the spotlight once again, and he and the Vikings have work to do.

Languishing at the bottom of the NFC North, the Vikings need to go on a winning run if they are to keep pace with the other teams in their division, and it all starts with Sunday’s game against the Lions.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

J.J. McCarthy

Minnesota Vikings

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!