Minnesota Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is already proving to be injury-prone. After lacking his rookie season due to a knee damage, he has suffered one other setback.
On Monday, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned he isn’t planning on having McCarthy play in Sunday’s residence recreation towards the Cincinnati Bengals due to an ankle sprain. Nonetheless, it is not anticipated to be a long-term subject.
Carson Wentz — a one-time Professional Bowler — will seemingly change McCarthy in Sunday’s recreation. The matchup with the Bengals will function a battle of the backups. Cincinnati backup QB Jake Browning is about to start out after Joe Burrow suffered a left toe damage in Sunday’s 31-27 residence victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bengals HC Zac Taylor has confirmed it’s going to require surgical procedure.
Like McCarthy, Burrow has sturdiness points. Over the course of his six-year tenure, the Bengals star has battled knee and wrist points. Nonetheless, the Vikings must be way more involved about their QB scenario.
McCarthy’s damage provides to rising considerations concerning the QB
Aside from a spectacular fourth-quarter comeback in a 27-24 Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears, McCarthy hasn’t appeared like the reply for the Vikings by means of two begins. The Michigan product has accomplished 58.5 p.c of his passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions throughout this span. When you take away the comeback towards Chicago, his numbers look even worse.
A few of McCarthy’s struggles tie to the system he performed in below former Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh (now with the Los Angeles Chargers). The coach used a run-heavy scheme and did not let him air it out a lot. The one-time nationwide champion tried simply 713 passes in three seasons with the Wolverines. Falcons second-year QB Michael Penix Jr. tried 555 passes in his last season at Washington.
Nonetheless, McCarthy must be extra productive with a supporting solid that features star WR Justin Jefferson and O’Connell, an offensive wizard. Final season, Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold tossed a career-high 35 TD passes in 17 begins with Minnesota.
Mix his damage historical past with subpar play, and that ought to go away Minnesota with considerations about McCarthy. If he cannot get wholesome and switch issues round, it might be time to start out scouting the 2026 QB class. It is headlined by Penn State’s Drew Allar, Oklahoma’s John Mateer and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.
