J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams were selected nine picks apart at the top of the 2024 NFL draft class, and nearly two years later one wonders what might have happened for McCarthy had he not missed what has officially become his rookie season.
With a year of NFL football under his belt, Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, is a burgeoning star leading the Bears to heights unseen in Chicago for years; McCarthy, picked 10th by the Vikings and playing his first NFL season, is at best an enigma.
This was thrown into stark relief this weekend, because Williams unleashed a pair of signature plays on Saturday night to rally the Bears past Green Bay and into sole possession of the NFC North lead. Already, the 22-16 victory has been dubbed by some as the NFL’s game of the year.
Less than 24 hours later, McCarthy’s season might have ended on what threatens to be his signature play in Minnesota — a sack with less than 20 seconds left in the first half that resulted in a fumble recovered and returned for a touchdown by former Gophers safety Tyler Nubin.
That pulled the nearly dead Giants to within 13-10 at the half, and Max Brosmer led the Vikings to a 16-13 victory on Will Reichard’s fourth-quarter field goal.
“These guys have continued to fight and find a way to win three in a row,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
For most outside the locker room, it didn’t feel like a win — let alone a three-game winning streak. That’s because a) the Vikings aren’t going to the playoffs and b) after McCarthy played well in victories over Cleveland and Dallas, he was wonky enough Sunday to cast additional doubt on his viability as an NFL-caliber quarterback.
And his season is likely done because of a right hand injury.
Afterward, O’Connell praised McCarthy’s progress and was complimentary of the way he played against the Giants.
“He’s looked like he has really found a place of decisiveness, of ownership of the offense,” O’Connell said. “So, yes, it’s a bummer.”
McCarthy was betrayed Sunday by some shoddy receiving from Jordan Addison — who dropped a discretely placed pass in the end zone — and Jalen Nailor, who tipped two catchable, if not perfect, passes into the hands of Giants defensive backs Paulsen Adebo and Jevon Holland.
Holland ran his interception 92 yards for a touchdown, only to have it called back because of a neutral zone infraction by teammate Abdul Carter. Otherwise, the Vikings would have been down 10-3, and McCarthy would have been statistically responsible for two turnovers that turned into touchdowns.
O’Connell supplied something of an alibi for the fumble, McCarthy’s sixth in nine games. Apparently, McCarthy hurt the hand on the previous drive, which ended when the quarterback scrambled 12 yards for a touchdown.
McCarthy, his coach said, didn’t know the hand was badly injured. On the ensuing drive, O’Connell said, “We ran the ball, and then tried to throw a simple receiver screen, and I’m not sure he was even able to grip the ball.”
One wonders why O’Connell had McCarthy throwing with 24 seconds left in the half with a 13-3 lead, but with the playoffs out of the picture, he probably wanted to see what the quarterback could do in an end-of-half situation. If that was the case, McCarthy responded in the worst possible way, injured hand or not.
So, now what?
It has been suggested in this space that this season can’t be a referendum on McCarthy’s future in Minnesota, and the sentiment remains. The young signal caller has made a lot of good plays for the Vikings this season; had last season been his first, maybe he would be playing a little more like Caleb Williams in 2025.
But after 11 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions, six fumbles, a 4-4 record and three significant injuries — four if you count the preseason game injury that ended his 2024 season before it started — there are a ton of questions to be answered.
From here, especially if McCarthy doesn’t play again this season, he hasn’t been good enough to have already earned the starting job in 2026. Unless this team decides to take a left turn into a rebuild, the Vikings must acquire a viable option before training camp begins.
Related Articles
Max Brosmer replaces injured J.J. McCarthy as Vikings beat Giants
Vikings center Ryan Kelly leaves game for concussion evaluation
Vikings at Giants: What to know ahead of Week 16 matchup
The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 16: Last-minute moves
Vikings have plane trouble on way to play Giants
Leave a Reply