‘He’s going to practice today’ — Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell gives update on QB J.J. McCarthy’s status for season finale
Despite a broken hand, the Minnesota Vikings are hopeful quarterback J.J. McCarthy can play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
The Minnesota Vikings have been without starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy for seven of their 16 games this season, and didn’t have them for half of their Week 16 matchup against the New York Giants.
In that game, McCarthy suffered a broken throwing hand. He was shown on the sidelines with the training staff before halftime, grimacing in pain from the injury. Max Brosmer replaced him and made his second start on Christmas Day against the Detroit Lions.
Kevin O’Connell confirms J.J. McCarthy’s return to practice
The main topic of conversations in Kevin O’Connell’s Wednesday press conference was the health of McCarthy. Luckily for the Vikings and the fanbase, he is returning to practice.
“He got out there with the trainers yesterday [Tuesday] and had a really positive throwing session, so he’s going to take part in practice today,” said O’Connell. Coming out of it, [we will] see if there are any restrictions or issues before working into another day tomorrow. But we’re at the point now, after his positive day yesterday, getting on the field today for practice, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Having McCarthy return feels, on the surface, like it’s a bad idea. Playing with a broken throwing hand in the final game of the season, where there is nothing to play for but pride, doesn’t make much sense. However, getting meaningful experience is huge for the second-year quarterback with just nine starts to his name.
It isn’t just meaningful for McCarthy, it’s huge for the Vikings organization. They need to figure out how to move forward at quarterback. Of a possible 34 regular-season and playoff games, McCarthy has missed 25 of them, and it could get to a point where his lack of availability transcends O’Connell’s comments about organizations failing young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.
Getting out there on Sunday, albeit against a depleted Packers defense, would give the Vikings more information to make their decision for the offseason, and it could be critical for McCarthy’s future. Missing the game could make the decision for the Vikings.
How McCarthy responds to the increased workload will be key to him playing on Sunday, and we will update you every step of the way.
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