The Minnesota Vikings will be returning the player they hope to one day build their franchise around when they take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field this Sunday.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the lineup after a 5-game absence due to an ankle injury.
The news comes after it was announced that backup quarterback Carson Wentz was placed on injured reserve and will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Wentz started the last five games for Minnesota with McCarthy out and played through a dislocated shoulder, torn labrum and fracture socket after the Vikings’ 21-17 win over Cleveland Oct. 5.
McCarthy returning at QB1 for Week 9 vs. Lions - what does that mean for Detroit?
The Vikings have drawn criticism for continuing to play Wentz through such gruesome injuries while McCarthy sat with what, on the surface, appears to be a less severe ailment by comparison. But either way, they’re back to McCarthy for Week 9.
“He's mobile. He's got a big arm. He's a good decision maker,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “And he's like any other young quarterback. The more reps he gets, the better he's going to get.”
In two games this year, McCarthy is 24-for-41 passing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions and the Vikings went 1-1. By comparison, Wentz completed 110 of 169 pass attempts for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions in his five starts as Minnesota went 2-3.
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The former Michigan Wolverine was Minnesota’s Week 1 starter and struggled out of the gate, although he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after Minnesota made an 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bears in primetime Week 1.
“He had it a little bit rough there early, right?” Campbell said of McCarthy’s Week 1 performance. “Throws the pick, then all of a sudden, man, he comes rushing back. And you just see the poise and the confidence and his ability to overcome that and and really lead them to a win. That's impressive for a young guy. So, that kind of tells me all I need to know. I know what the talent is.”
McCarthy developed a reputation as a “winner” in college and only lost one start as a Wolverine. He’s undefeated as a starting quarterback in the state of Michigan, a trend that the Lions will be looking to buck when they host him on Sunday.
It’ll be just McCarthy’s third start in the NFL, but he’ll be playing in a state he’s very familiar with. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is a known quarterback guru and Minnesota has arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson.
“They're going to do what they need to do to help him out and try to reduce the stress,” Campbell said. “Take as much off his plate [as possible, but yet allow him to do things he does well.”
Though Minnesota has plenty of pieces around McCarthy and is coming off a 14-win season, the Vikings have struggled to start 2025. The offensive line has played poorly and has struggled to protect both Wentz and McCarthy, while Brian Flores’ defense has been less consistent in the first half of the year.
That could spell trouble against a Detroit Lions defense that is currently fifth in the NFL in sack rate. Aidan Hutchinson is having a monster year in his return from injury and has been complemented well by Al-Quadin Muhammad. They could get after McCarthy early and often in this one.
The Vikings are coming off a humiliating 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday night, and are in desperate need of a win if they want to tread water in their tough division.
Minnesota is currently 3-4 and the only team in the NFC North below .500. A win for Detroit would put them at 6-2 and keep them in striking distance of the Green Bay Packers for the division lead and consequently the top seed in the NFC.