There’s a J.J. McCarthy Concussion Update
Already for the third time in his young career, Vikings fans are waiting for quarterback J.J. McCarthy to return from an injury. The passer missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, five games in his sophomore season with a high ankle sprain, and a concussion sidelined him on Sunday.
There’s a J.J. McCarthy Concussion Update
Last season, veteran Sam Darnold played at a Pro Bowl level, so nobody was too impatient. Carson Wentz took over earlier this season and posted a 2-3 record, with some competent backup QB play. And finally, we have Max Brosmer, who started on Sunday. That game was a disaster, and those who thought it couldn’t get any worse than McCarthy’s level of play were proven wrong.
As the playoffs are out of reach, the final five games of the season are all about developing McCarthy and getting some improvement out of him. The first step, however, is a return to the field. He logged three limited practices last week and is still in concussion protocol.
On Monday, Kevin O’Connell addressed the media, and he was asked about his young signal-caller.
“He’s symptom-free. Now, the last phase, I believe, of the protocol is he needs to just have a full practice day, and that should come on Wednesday. Expecting, barring any unforeseen changes to where he’s at today, having that Wednesday will allow him to have a normal full week and likely be able to go in as our starter on Sunday.”
The NFL has a plan in place for a return from concussion. It’s a five-step plan, to be exact, and McCarthy has apparently cleared the first four hurdles. The fourth one is participation in non-contact drills without experiencing symptoms.
His next step is participation in contact drills. The league explains: “After the player-patient has established his ability to participate in non-contact football activity including team meetings, conditioning and non-contact practice without recurrence of signs and symptoms and his neurocognitive testing is back to baseline, the Club physician may clear him for full football activity involving contact in practice. If the player-patient tolerates full participation practice and contact without signs or symptoms and the Club physician concludes that the player- patient’s concussion has resolved, s/he may clear the player-patient to return to participation.”
The last time we saw McCarthy on the field was at Lambeau Field, when his final two drives ended with interceptions. In that second half, the Vikings generated four total yards of offense, and since that halftime, the squad hasn’t scored a single point. It’s been six quarters. The last touchdown came in the game prior, when the comeback attempt against the Chicago Bears fell short.
In his six starts, the tenth overall pick of the 2024 draft completed only 54.1% of his passes for 929 yards, six touchdowns, and ten picks. He also rushed for 120 yards and a couple of scores.
Hopes were high that McCarthy could just take over for Darnold, but the growing pains have been massive on the field, compounded by injury struggles.
After the shutout against the Seahawks, the Vikings need some good news to arrive sooner rather than later. A good-looking McCarthy performance would provide just that.
If he can log a full practice on Wednesday without experiencing any symptoms, he’ll officially reclaim his QB1 job.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.