The Minnesota Vikings lost their first international game in Europe this past week. That said, they’re now heading to London for their second consecutive international game of the season. However, they’ll be without their starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, considering the quarterback is dealing with a high ankle sprain, per ESPN.

The quarterback is all set to miss his third-straight game of the season. The news came to light after McCarthy held out of practice once again on Friday. While Kevin O’Connell hoped his QB to participate in at least a portion of the practice at their temporary facility outside London, thanks to rain, the HC had to decide against it.

“He got through (the week) pretty well,” the HC said of McCarthy. “Obviously with the weather today, my hope was to try to get him some work during individual [drills], but with the weather and the tight field space — we’re working on a 100-yard field — we wanted to be smart with that. But very much looking forward to spending some time with him next week and see where he is at coming out of the bye.”

After looking solid in the season opener against the Chicago Bears, McCarthy got the Week 2 start against the Atlanta Falcons. But things didn’t exactly click. He went 11-for-21 with 158 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 22-6 loss. The real issues, though? He woke up the next morning with some pretty significant soreness and hasn’t practiced since.

In his absence, veteran QB Carson Wentz stepped in and has completed 44 of 66 passes for 523 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in the last two games. The Vikings have split those two games with a 48-10 significant victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, while dropping the Week 4 game to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21 in Dublin.

Now that J.J. McCarthy is set to miss his third straight game (he was 24-41 for 301 yards, posting 150.5 yards per, with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first two games of this season), Wentz will yet again suit up in the Week 5 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Kevin O’Connell highlights Carson Wentz’s unique journey

Carson Wentz entered the season with almost 100 NFL starts, but many viewed him as a kind of safety net for the Vikings. However, O’Connell has this knack for getting the best out of his quarterbacks. And yes, he’s doing the same with the 32-year-old as well. Wentz will start his 97th NFL game against the Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, on Sunday.

And the Vikings’ head coach has faith that his backup QB can give the team more than just a temporary fix. “I think he’s had a really unique journey. At one point in time in Philadelphia, he was one of the best players in the league at the position,” O’Connell said in the recent pressers.

The HC also pointed out that Wentz’s stints with multiple teams in recent years have played a part in shaping his development. “I think he has been able to have a unique perspective at this point, which makes it enjoyable to coach him. The dialogue and how these plans come to life, with him having some input and involvement, which leads to your first question of just his comfort level when we get to the game.

“And ultimately, how we call the game and how we try to execute it best with Carson playing quarterback for us. I’ve been really happy with him.” Wentz is the first NFL player who have started for six teams in six consecutive seasons. The Vikings happened to be the sixth team. And with McCarthy sidelined due to a high ankle sprain, O’Connell expects great things from the veteran.