The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy were having a strong game against the New York Giants on Sunday, December 21, but unfortunate news hit with McCarthy suffered an injury that will take him out of the rest of the matchup.
McCarthy suffered a hand injury during the game, and according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he’s out for the game. “The Vikings have ruled out J.J. McCarthy with a hand injury,” he stated on X.
The Vikings also took to social media to confirm that McCarthy won’t be returning, noting, “QB J.J. McCarthy (hand) has been ruled out.”
McCarthy suffered the hand injury during the second quarter of the game. He went to the locker room before the end of the first half, making way for rookie Max Brosmer to kneel the half out. While the nature of the hand injury isn’t clear, it didn’t look good from footage taken on the field.
“And now J.J. McCarthy is headed into the locker room. Were they working on his hand?” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert stated on X.
J.J. McCarthy Was Having a Strong Game Against the Giants
McCarthy was 9 of 14 for 108 yards passing and ran for a touchdown before getting injured in the Giants game. Of course, this game has no playoff implications for either team, which makes it sting more. Let’s hope the injury isn’t as bad as it looked.
The Minnesota Vikings had a 6-8 record going into Sunday’s game and were eliminated from the playoffs before beating Dallas last weekend. The New York Giants had a 2-12 heading into the game and have also dropped eight games in a row.
As for the injury itself, McCarthy was crushed by pass rusher Brian Burns on a strip sack with just 24 seconds left in the first half of the game.
Sports medicine physician Jesse Morse, M.D. had a small update on McCarthy at halftime, simply noting, “J.J. McCarthy ‘Nine’ He has been ruled out with a right throwing hand injury. Will provide an update when we have more details.”
“The worry for Vikings J.J. McCarthy is a right metacarpal fracture,” added the Pro Football Doc on X. “If that is the case, it would mean surgery and the end of his season.”
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Praises J.J. McCarthy
Following the Vikings’ win over the Cowboys last weekend, O’Connell gushed over McCarthy.
“We’re building up to a little bit more experience, a little bit more time on task, a little bit more understanding of what playing the quarterback position at the NFL level is. It’s a decision-maker position,” he said according to the team’s official website. “With his ability to throw the football, from an arm-strength standpoint, he’s going to have a chance to touch every blade of grass and allow us to be explosive. And then I think he’s made some big-time throws in some big moments.”
He added that it’s not a surprise to him how well McCarthy is performing, “because of who he is. There’s been some tough Monday mornings early on for any young quarterback in the league. And he’s always shown up as the same guy, always shown up ready to go back to work, ready to be coached, ready to continue to pour into this ‘lead’ with all the traits on and off the field he has to do that.”
J.J. McCarthy Injury Update as Vikings QB Hurt in Giants Game