Tag: J.J. McCarthy

NFC North watch: Vikings lose QB J.J. McCarthy to a knee injury

NFC North watch: Vikings lose QB J.J. McCarthy to a knee injury which will sideline their first-round rookie for some time

It’s been a rough week on the injury front for the Detroit Lions, with nearly a dozen players sidelined with various ailments. The Lions are not alone in fighting the injury bug around the league and within the NFC North division.

In Minnesota, the Vikings will be without its most prominent rookie to start the season. First-round pick quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Michigan will be idled for at least a few weeks with a knee injury. McCarthy sat out from practice on Monday with knee soreness, and additional testing revealed a torn meniscus.

The Vikings announced that McCarthy “will undergo a procedure for a torn meniscus in his right knee.”

Recovery times for a torn meniscus vary widely and are also dependent upon what type of procedure is performed. Week 1 is four weeks away, and that’s the bare minimum timeline from various medical resources for nonsurgical return to action. Even a minor surgical procedure could keep McCarthy out well into his rookie campaign, though that’s an unknown timeline at this point.

Veteran Sam Darnold figures to now be the unquestioned starting quarterback to start the regular season.

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Knee surgery for Vikings top pick, QB J.J. McCarthy

Knee surgery will sideline Vikings top pick J.J. McCarthy

Knee soreness that kept quarterback J.J. McCarthy out of Minnesota Vikings practice on Monday has turned more concerning. The No. 10 overall pick from the national champion Michigan Wolverines will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus it was announced on Tuesday.

McCarthy was impressive in his preseason debut. In a 24-23 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, he was 11-of-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was something where he obviously finished the game [Saturday], threw a touchdown on his last pass, but out of precaution, you know, we’re going to continue evaluation on him and get some more testing done,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday. “Very important player, obviously. So we want to make sure we’re smart about that before he participates [and make sure we] have a good understanding of where he’s at.”

The Vikings will start Sam Darnold while Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens are also in training camp.

How much time McCarthy will miss depends on how much work has to be done on his injured knee in the surgery.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky breaks down J.J. McCarthy’s biggest plays against Raiders

It has been a great week for those who believed in J.J. McCarthy through the draft process, but the praises aren’t done.

It has been a great week for those who believed in J.J. McCarthy through the draft process, but the praises aren’t done. Analysts from every network have been hyping his performance against the Raiders with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky being the latest to throw his praises.

The former Detroit Lions quarterback specifically pointed out that the play action and play calling were monumental for McCarthy’s efficiency. He also discussed how his eyes worked the defense and read it as plays developed. All of these things helped with their deep ball success on offense.

Orlovsky also mentions that at Michigan, McCarthy threw a lot of darts or low deep passes. On Saturday, he was able to lob the ball accurately over the defenders when, if he hadn’t, the pass would have been broken up or intercepted. All of these things he mentions are stuff you see from veterans so to see it so early on from McCarthy is a great sign in his development.

So far, so good for Kevin O’Connell and his staff in how they have handled the rookie quarterback.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy to undergo knee surgery, out indefinitely

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will undergo knee surgery and will be out indefinitely. The news was broken by ESPN.

Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will have knee surgery and is out indefinitely. The news was broken by Adam Schefter of ESPN moments before Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media.

O’Connell confirmed the news at his press conference on Tuesday, saying McCarthy has a torn meniscus. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the severity of meniscus surgeries is unknown until the knee is examined to see if it needs a full repair or just trimming.

J.J. McCarthy took to social media after the news was announced to reassure Vikings fans. He used the Latin phrase “amor fati,” which was popularized by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzche and translates to a love or acceptance of one’s fate.

As of now, this injury does not have a timeline, but we know that Sam Darnold will be the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Darnold’s debut in the purple and gold will come against the New York Giants as they kick off their 100th season.

Darnold and McCarthy both looked good on Saturday as the team had a comeback win against the Raiders to kick off the preseason. It was the team’s first preseason win since 2019.

Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy held out of practice with knee soreness

Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy held out of practice with knee soreness after wowing in his preseason debut

It was one heck of a preseason debut for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings as the former Michigan Wolverine showed off exactly why he was picked in the first round and teased fans with a bright future at the position. Unfortunately following the big show out from McCarthy it appears he suffered some knee soreness and was held out of Monday’s practice.

It appears that McCarthy will undergo testing for the soreness out of precaution from the Vikings. This obviously isn’t great news for the Vikings or McCarthy as every snap matters to a rookie battling it out for the starting job, and if this knee issue turns into missed time, it could be an extended period before we see McCarthy starting under center again.

Minnesota seems to have faith in veteran quarterback Sam Darnold and will look for him to lead the team should McCarthy be unable to snag the starting gig or if he misses time due to injury. Fingers crossed that the knee soreness is nothing serious and that fans will see McCarthy back in the saddle for week two of the preseason.

J.J. McCarthy held out of Vikings practice due to knee soreness

The Vikings had a night practice late on Monday, with the majority of the team participating, with the exception of rookie J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings had a night practice late on Monday, with the majority of the team participating, with the exception of rookie J.J. McCarthy.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported Monday afternoon, prior to practice, that the Vikings’ top draft pick from the 2024 NFL Draft was experiencing knee soreness. The soreness was going to be examined further through more testing, and the team was holding him out of practice.

Seifert added that coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t see the extra steps as anything more than “routine” at this point. He also didn’t expand upon whether McCarthy would be traveling to Cleveland to join the team as they prepare for joint practices with the Browns prior to their game on Saturday.

If McCarthy does not travel with the team to Cleveland, that may be the time to worry if you are a Viking fan. For now, the team and fans alike are in a holding pattern as they await to see what the tests reveal on J.J. McCarthy’s knee.

J.J. McCarthy had something change after his interception against the Raiders

The Vikings rookie QB had all of his nerves leave his body after throwing an INT on his first drive in the NFL.

It was a mostly great start for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Saturday during his first preseason football game. McCarthy threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns en route to a Vikings’ win. But it wasn’t all perfect for the former Michigan quarterback.

On McCarthy’s first drive for Minnesota, he appeared to stare down his target and was picked off by Raiders’ defensive back Jack Jones.

But, after throwing that first NFL pick, McCarthy was locked in. He would throw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Trishton Jackson and a 33-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield Jr.

Speaking with reporters, McCarthy said that after throwing that interception, he felt relaxed and had fun playing football.

“After that interception, I felt like the nerves just went out the water and I was playing free and having fun again,” McCarthy said.

The 10th overall pick also said it was fun seeing Sam Darnold go out on the first drive and slice up the Raiders’ defense. He complimented Darnold’s performance and said it gave him even more confidence in being able to see Darnold succeed.

J.J. McCarthy’s misses are what will be the key to him starting for Vikings

It’s tough to know how rookies will respond to crucial mistakes, but that’s going to dictate the success for J.J. McCarthy.

During his first preseason football game, Vikings’ rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered an early interception against the Las Vegas Raiders. But the former Michigan gunslinger managed to bounce back in a major way. He threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

It was a mostly good performance for Vikings fans to witness. But that early mistake made The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino give McCarthy a B-grade against the Raiders. Valentino explains that the interception, or mistake, was the key to him unlocking his comfort.

“Most of what followed the mistake was much better. He stood tall in the pocket and displayed a strong, accurate arm throughout the majority of attempts. McCarthy has a knack for unleashing feathery balls that float perfectly into his receiver’s chest.”

He goes to explain that “consistency is the key for McCarthy. His rushing ability and arm talent are great, but his misses are often way off target. The game didn’t seem too fast for him, and he easily hit the most difficult throws he attempted, including a deep shot that went for a touchdown.”

If McCarthy is able to bounce back as he did against the Raiders after making mistakes, then Minnesota is in good hands. But it’s hard to tell how rookies will perform in the NFL after making crucial mistakes in meaningful games.

Former NFL QB admires one play from J.J. McCarthy’s debut

McCarthy had some moments where he looked like a rookie on Saturday against the Raiders, but he also had some moments that impressed us.

On Saturday against the Raiders, J.J. McCarthy looked like a rookie at times, but he also impressed us with many of his throws and decisions. Every rookie quarterback will have growing pains, and McCarthy is no exception. There was a moment, though, that stood out among the pass attempts he made against the Raiders.

That moment stuck out to everyone who was watching, especially former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel.

Daniel retired from the NFL last September and has pivoted to a career in media. One thing he has become known for is evaluating quarterback play and with the opening week of the preseason concluding he chose one play from McCarthy to highlight.

There was a moment where McCarthy was staring down two blitzers and one was picked up by Kene Nwangwu but the other was left free. The former Michigan Wolverine had a decision to make where he could fold and take the sack or wait for the play to develop and take a hit.

He chose the latter.

The result was an impressive play from McCarthy and will be shown time and again as the decision comes down to who will start for the team. It is just one lay, but it was a veteran move from a rookie quarterback.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick blasts Buckeye fan for disparaging J.J. McCarthy

If this guy wasn’t humble before, he is now. #GoBlue

Ohio State fans continue to be in shambles.

For whatever reason, despite having lost to Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy twice as a starter and once when he was a backup, Buckeye fans continue to insist McCarthy isn’t any good.

If that’s true, what does that say about your team?

Even now that McCarthy is in the NFL, you often see rival fans posting McCarthy’s preseason incompletions, but not his quality plays. On Saturday in his first preseason game, McCarthy had a number of quality plays, going 11-for-17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, along with rushing twice for 18 yards.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick decided to push back on the ridiculous notion that McCarthy was limited to throwing short, intermediate passes inside the numbers.

Then a Buckeye fan decided to comment that this was an easy, routine throw. Riddick wasn’t having it.

Yes, it is just a preseason game, but this was indicative of the type of player McCarthy is and has been during his time in Ann Arbor. Yet, Ohio State fans (and Michigan State fans, too, for that matter) cannot help, as Riddick essentially points out, making fools of themselves.