The Minnesota Vikings are a tough team to figure out, and the questions begin with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
He is mostly a mystery on the field, as he has played in just two of a possible 22 games (21 regular season and one playoffs) since joining the NFL as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
And in his eight quarters on the gridiron, the 22-year-old looked considerably worse than most fans and analysts expected over seven of them, and then about as good as any signal-caller could possibly look in one — during which he accounted for three touchdowns and more or less single-handedly erased an 11-point road deficit to the Chicago Bears.
It’s impossible to know who the Vikings are without knowing precisely what they have in McCarthy, and it’s impossible to gauge what kind of player he is now — or what type he might become — until he returns from a high ankle sprain that knocked him out of the past two games.
Minnesota shared a significant injury update on McCarthy on Tuesday, September 30, as brass indicated it expects the QB to return to the practice field to some degree this week.
“Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced earlier today that [right tackle] Brian O’Neill suffered an MCL sprain and will be week-to-week. He will not be placed on IR,” Minnesota wrote on its official X account. “[Outside linebacker] Andrew Van Ginkel will not practice this week, and the hope is that J.J. McCarthy practices some this week.
All Signs Still Point to J.J. McCarthy Sitting Out Against Browns in London
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings lost in to the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend in Dublin and remain in Europe for a second consecutive overseas contest, the next coming Sunday in London against the Cleveland Browns.
McCarthy’s initial prognosis was an absence of two to four weeks. So far he has missed two and is entering into the third. However, Minnesota has a bye following its game against Cleveland, which means the team can play it cautious and keep McCarthy out a full month but only actually lose him for three games instead of four.
NFL franchises often err toward an extra week of rest with high-profile, injured players as a mid-season bye nears. This Vikings regime has done so in the past with the likes of wide receiver Justin Jefferson and his hamstring strain in 2023, just to cite one example.
Furthermore, O’Connell noted in Week 3 following a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Carson Wentz’s first start that Minnesota wouldn’t rush McCarthy back into the starting lineup even if he were healthy. The scenario the head coach laid out was that McCarthy may remain QB2 if he got back to full strength one or two nights before a game and Wentz had gotten most of the first-team preparation.
The Vikings are also 2-2 and won’t decide the fate of their season on a neutral field against a 1-3 Browns team in Week 5, so it is unlikely that McCarthy plays against Cleveland unless he is a full practice participant all week and runs the first-team offense essentially that entire time.
Vikings’ Offensive Line Injuries, Week 6 Bye Incentivize Team to Sit J.J. McCarthy Against Browns
GettyCleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
There is also something to the notion that Minnesota would be protecting McCarthy by holding him out against the Browns.
Cleveland’s offense is abysmal, and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores may get to spend this weekend tormenting a rookie QB making his first ever professional start in Dillon Gabriel, should the Browns make the move many franchise insiders expect and bench Joe Flacco.
But Cleveland’s defense is actually quite good. Its defensive line is its strength on that side of the football, which superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett leads. The Browns have sacked opposing quarterbacks 11 times in four games, while Minnesota’s banged up offensive front has surrendered a league-leading 18 sacks over the same span.
O’Neill is highly unlikely to play and rookie/starting guard Donovan Jackson won’t be back until at least Week 7 after recently undergoing surgery to repair an injured wrist. Down two starting offensive linemen against one of the better defensive lines in the league is a recipe for McCarthy to get creamed again, just like he did against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, who hit the QB 11 times and recorded six sacks. Pittsburgh did even more damage to Wentz with 14 QB hits and six sacks last weekend.
Cleveland has a better pass rush than both the Falcons and Steelers, and Minnesota’s offensive line is as shorthanded as it has been all season. Just that, in and of itself, might prove more than enough reason to let McCarthy remain a mystery a couple weeks longer and reset with the second-year signal-caller come Week 7.
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