The Minnesota Vikings must ask themselves this offseason how patient they can afford to be with quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has shown his share of as-advertised winning traits and athletic talents but just as many alarming tendencies during this up-and-down debut.
How quickly the Vikings believe his mechanics can be improved and his consistency can increase might not matter as much as whether they feel he can be counted on to regularly take the field. That is now in doubt over the last two weeks of the season after more tests and an MRI revealed a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, according to head coach Kevin O'Connell.
"Got some further imaging and it was discovered he does have a very, very small hairline fracture that was discovered in his hand," O'Connell described. "We are not expecting to have him this week. I do not think this is anything that will require surgery. The recovery is kind of similar to a bone bruise."
Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will start his second NFL game Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. Brosmer's other NFL start was in Seattle, a 26-0 Seahawk romp where the Vikings struggled all day to move the ball.
After hurting his throwing hand during Minnesota's victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, his fourth significant injury in two years, McCarthy was unable to play in the second half and is now uncertain to be healthy enough to play again this season. They finish against Green Bay on Jan. 3 or 4. O'Connell said McCarthy will not go in IR, leaving the window open for McCarthy to play against the Packers.
Neither O'Connell nor McCarthy were sure when the injury took place in New York, but said it definitely affects his ability to grip the ball.
"There's obviously some potential candidates of plays that happened, but he's not entirely sure exactly when it was," O'Connell said Tuesday. "And then ultimately, you know, kind of felt it for real on that, you know, on his last play of the day."
After his entire rookie year was wiped out by a torn meniscus in his right knee, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft missed five games with a badly sprained right ankle and one more with a concussion.
McCarthy's hand appeared to hit a Giants defender's helmet two plays before his rushing touchdown on a head-first dive into the end zone after a third-down scramble. When McCarthy returned for the next series, he double-clutched on a screen pass before being leveled by unblocked edge rusher Brian Burns for the sack-fumble-touchdown trifecta. The pain in his hand was too severe to continue playing after that.
Not only have the injuries stunted McCarthy's development, but he can't be counted on to be a franchise quarterback if they keep occurring at this frequency.
"It's part of this game, and he’s a competitor. I think it’s something where he’s going to go out there and lay it on the line every single week,” O'Connell said.
What's working
The pass defense has been mostly impenetrable during the second half of the season. The Vikings have not allowed a passing touchdown in six straight games, tying New England (2018-19) for the longest streak in the league over the last 25 years.
Giants interim coach Mike Kafka was apparently concerned enough about rookie Jaxson Dart's ability to navigate the rush, coverage and disguises devised by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores that only a handful of passing plays were called in the first half. Dart had just one completion before halftime, plus one interception. The 2.5 net yards per pass attempt for the Giants on Sunday was the lowest average in any game in the NFL this season, according to Sportradar.
What needs help
The Vikings have the eighth-most penalties in the league, after 11 flags went against them for 90 lost yards on Sunday in their fourth game this season with 10-plus infractions. Both Harrison Smith and Eric Wilson had third-down sacks erased by roughing-the-passer penalties, and Wilson's in the fourth quarter extended a drive the Giants finished with a field goal.
Stock up
Running back Aaron Jones injured his right ankle while being stopped for a loss on the second snap on Sunday, only to have sidekick Jordan Mason join him on the sideline just five plays later. The 31-year-old Jones gritted his way through the rest of the game with Mason unable to return, finishing with 85 yards on 21 carries, both season highs.
Stock down
McCarthy's high-velocity throws — the Vikings have tried to teach him to throttle down to match certain routes and coverages in a concept called layering — have been a challenge to catch. But drops have hindered an offense carrying a thin margin for error, and Jordan Addison has been the biggest culprit. He failed to secure a perfectly placed ball after landing in the end zone on a third-down pass from the 25-yard line on the opening drive, forcing the Vikings to settle for a field goal.
Injury report
The condition of McCarthy's right hand has become by far the most important matter of the shortened week, but the status of other players is also an issue.
The most concerning development was a return to the concussion protocol for center Ryan Kelly, who already spent seven weeks on injured reserve this season out of abundant caution toward his career history of head injuries.
“We’re all hoping and really just thinking about him,” O'Connell said. “Don’t have an official kind of diagnosis or anything, but any time anything like that happens, you have concerns.”
O'Connell added Tuesday afternoon that Kelly won’t play on Thursday.
Running back Jordan Mason is “still feeling it” after his ankle injury on Sunday, but O’Connell wasn’t ready to roll him out for Thursday.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave didn't play on Sunday because of a thigh injury. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and safety Josh Metellus are all shut down for the season.
Key number
12 — The Vikings have won 12 straight games against opponents starting a rookie quarterback, the longest active streak in the NFL. Their last such loss was in 2018 to Buffalo with Josh Allen.
Up next
The Vikings (7-8) get the chance to be the Grinch on Christmas and eliminate the division rival Lions (8-7) from contention for the playoffs. A loss for the Lions would, coincidentally, clinch a spot for the Packers (9-5-1), their final opponent.