Now that the 2024 NFL draft is behind us and rookie minicamps have begun, the anticipation is beginning to build for the 2024 season. There’s a large crop of high-profile rookies coming into the league, and fan bases all across the country are waiting with anticipation at their first chances to see their new talent.
The writers at PFF have examined the situations surrounding each of the first-round quarterbacks, along with their teams’ schedules, to determine the most anticipated game for each new quarterback. They’ve tabbed the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions as the one to watch for former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Though the Vikings took McCarthy with the 10th pick in the first round to be the team’s future franchise quarterback, that future isn’t likely to start right away, writes PFF’s Trevor Sikkema. Sikkema believes the Vikings signed former 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold “in good faith” and plan to start the season with him at the helm while McCarthy sits and learns.
But he’s not going to sit and learn forever. The Vikings have their bye week in Week 6, and the following week, they are at home against the Lions. According to Sikkema, those are optimal conditions to introduce your rookie quarterback to the starting lineup. An extra week of practice and a home crowd at his backing should provide good conditions for success.
The Lions were one of the best teams in the NFC last season and figure to be just as good—if not better—this season. So that “success” may be relative, but either way, it should be a matchup to look forward to.