J.J. McCarthy, starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines, experienced symptoms on the plane flight home from Green Bay Sunday night. Therefore, he’s now in the concussion protocol. McCarthy’s getting an incredibly difficult start to his first year as an NFL starter. So it’s outrageous that his performance has been so bad.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that McCarthy reported his symptoms during the flight back from the team’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy’s immediate emergence of symptoms further compounded one of his worst performances of the season thus far. During the exhibition matchup against the Packers, he lost confidence in his game. He ended up finishing a miserable 12/19 for 87 yards, two interceptions and was sacked five times.
Unfortunately for McCarthy, right now he’s dead last among NFL quarterbacks in QB Rating, completion % and yards/attempt. His QBR—Quarterback Rating—is a blistering 24.8, that’s the percent completion percentage and the TD to INT ratio is 0.6. Those numbers highlight the uphill climb that’s been the case this season for McCarthy, within a season that’s already been defined by three notable injuries.
The woes began this season for McCarthy, as the quarterback went down with a high right ankle sprain in Week 2. Then he dealt with another injury bug when he bruised his right hand in Week 10. If McCarthy can’t play in Sunday’s matchup with Seattle, he’ll have combined games missed with games played this season. That would mean he’ll have missed six games total.
“Despite these issues, Coach O’Connell wouldn’t count McCarthy out for this weekend’s game against the Seahawks. “We’ll go through the steps and phases of it,” he stated regarding McCarthy’s condition.
In the meantime, backup QB Max Brosmer would take first-team reps until McCarthy could clear the concussion protocol. O’Connell praised Brosmer’s capability, noting his ability to “see things at a veteran-level type of eye progression.” That experience will be key should Brosmer be called upon to lead the team if McCarthy should miss time.
It was McCarthy who was ultimately selected as the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he ended up missing his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Injuries and inconsistent performances have derailed his early career. This predicament begs such an impertinent query regarding Kirk Cousins’ longterm status as the Vikings’ starting quarterback.
As the Vikings prepare for their next challenge, the team must navigate not only McCarthy’s health but the implications of Carson Wentz’s recent decision to undergo season-ending surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder. How all of these moves will shake out on the Vikings’ roster and what that means for their playoff hopes will play out in the coming weeks.
Leave a Reply