Justin Jefferson backs J.J. McCarthy amid Vikings' QB uncertainty

J.J. McCarthy's high ankle sprain will sideline him for a third consecutive game on Sunday in London, with Carson Wentz slated to start at quarterback for the Vikings again. But McCarthy is making progress in his recovery, which could lead to an interesting decision for Minnesota's coaching staff after the bye week.

If Wentz struggles against the Browns, it might be an easy call to go back to McCarthy — assuming his ankle is ready — even in a very tough Oct. 19 matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. If Wentz plays well in a win over Cleveland, the decision could be trickier. (The health of the Vikings' offensive line might be another factor).

Wentz has filled in pretty well for McCarthy since the second-year quarterback got hurt in Week 2. The Vikings' veteran backup has completed two thirds of his passes for 523 yards and four touchdowns, although he's thrown two interceptions and taken nine sacks in a 1-1 stretch. But the Vikings still need to find out if the 22-year-old McCarthy is their franchise guy.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Justin Jefferson made an interesting comment when asked about McCarthy's involvement behind the scenes.

"He's definitely in the mix. He's in the back of the offense (during practice), making sure he's getting all of those mental reps," Jefferson said. "He's still communicating with the quarterbacks and communicating with C-Wentz about what he sees out there. At the end of the day, he's still our guy and he's still the quarterback that we lean on. So he definitely has to be in there mentally, physically. He definitely can't sit back and just watch and go through the motions."

He's still our guy. He's still the quarterback that we lean on.

That feels like a pretty strong endorsement of McCarthy from Jefferson, who is the Vikings' best player and the face of their franchise. And to be clear, I don't think it should be interpreted as any sort of shot at Wentz, who completed 10 passes for 126 yards to Jefferson last Sunday in Dublin. It's just a reminder that the Vikings spent this entire offseason building up McCarthy to be their unquestioned starter at quarterback, and their belief in him hasn't faded because he struggled in seven of his first eight NFL quarters.