The Minnesota Vikings looked as though they may have struck gold with quarterback J.J. McCarthy following the three touchdowns for which he accounted in the team’s 11-point fourth-quarter comeback against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 1.
But nothing has gone right for the 22-year-old QB since, and little has bounced in favor of the organization as a whole.
McCarthy suffered a high-ankle sprain the following week in a 16-point home loss to the Atlanta Falcons and hasn’t played a snap since. Veteran Carson Wentz led the Vikings to a 2-3 record in the meantime, which included a 27-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on the most recent edition of “Thursday Night Football.”
Minnesota spent a boatload of money in free agency to solidify the interior of its offensive and defensive lines, but the O-line can’t stay healthy and hasn’t offered quality protection to any of the three quarterbacks who have lined up behind it, while the defense has struggled to stop the run all season.
Now with a record of 3-4 and 10 days of rest before heading to Ford Field to take on a 5-2 Detroit Lions team that will be coming off of its bye week, McCarthy appears likely to return to the starting lineup. However, he will do so as the “most disappointing player” on a roster chalk full of disappointments, per Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report.
“I try not to hit injured guys too hard here, but it’s no doubt extremely disappointing that McCarthy has been sidelined again this season,” Gagnon wrote Friday, October 24. “His 67.2 passer rating when healthy is the clincher.”
Carson Wentz Hasn’t Played Well Enough to Keep Job as Vikings’ Starting QB
GettyQuarterback Carson Wentz of the Minnesota Vikings.
Several analysts around the league speculated that Minnesota engaged in a soft benching of McCarthy, slow-playing his injury across six weeks due to how much he struggled in seven of the eight quarters he actually played during his sophomore NFL season after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee issue.
To look at McCarthy’s statistics, it isn’t difficult for one to see the merit in that particular conspiracy theory. Beyond his 67.2 passer rating, McCarthy has completed just 58.5 percent of his passes for 301 yards, two TDs and three INTs.
However, after Wentz’s performance on Thursday night (15-of-27 passing for 144 yards, one TD and one INT), which came after a two-interception game in a loss against the Philadelphia Eagles the weekend prior, the time for McCarthy’s return has arrived.
Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell Says J.J. McCarthy Will Start Against Lions if Healthy
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters during his postgame press conference that if McCarthy is healthy enough to go, he will start in Detroit on November 2.
O’Connell then shared an optimistic update on the quarterback’s health during his media availability Friday.
“I do feel positive about where both Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw are today,” O’Connell said. “The same can be said for J.J. McCarthy at the quarterback position. He will get some work in. Got some work today and will hopefully get some work throughout the early part of the week, which will lead him into a full week of preparation. And [I] feel positive about where he’s at as well.”
McCarthy has a chance to shed the moniker of disappointment and reclaim the feel-good he provided the Vikings and their fanbase in Week 1, but the task won’t be easy against a rested group of Lions that have generally played great football since a disappointing season-opener against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
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