Minnesota Vikings fans paying attention to the Sunday slate of games in Week 9 likely saw something all too familiar involving JJ McCarthy, and perhaps even sadly vindicating regarding his trade to the New York Giants in September — another big shot from a defender that knocked him out of a contest and sent him to the locker room with an apparent injury.
Health concerns unfortunately defined McCarthy’s time in Minnesota, as he missed his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury, seven games during his sophomore NFL season with three separate issues and then never played a snap in Year 3 before new general manager Nolan Teasley dealt him to the NFC East in return for a paltry fifth-round pick.
But the difference on November 9 was that McCarthy, whose toughness has never been in question, was able to return to the field of play after a wicked shot to the midsection that initially saw him collapse in pain on the sidelines while trying to throw a warm-up pass.
He finished the day 12-of-19 for 127 yards passing as well as 22 ground yards on four carries, as the Giants bested the Philadelphia Eagles 19-11. McCarthy is now 2-0 as New York’s starter across four appearances with a completion rate of 63.2 percent for 622 yards, one TD and one INT. He has added 51 rushing yards.
The main question moving forward is how McCarthy will fare health-wise now that the in-game adrenaline, and potentially a pain-management regimen, have now worn off. New York is on a short week and faces the Washington Commanders on “Thursday Night Football” in three days.
JJ McCarthy Suffered Hip Pointer Injury Against Eagles in Week 9
As it turns out, McCarthy suffered a hip pointer injury, which is essentially a bone bruise that also impacts the soft tissue around the joint.
The greatest threat to McCarthy’s status and general well-being given the specific nature of the injury is probably pain management, though that may not be universally true of all hip pointers.
In either case, Giants head coach John Harbaugh offered reporters an update on McCarthy’s status Monday, November 9 that included a prediction of his status for the TNF contest.
“John Harbaugh said J.J. McCarthy is ‘doing well.’ It’s early, but it ‘does look like he’s going to play’ on Thursday night against the Commanders,” Dan Salomone of Giants.com reported on X.
Vikings Rolling With Carson Wentz as QB1 Against Bills on MNF
An old cliché is that in every breakup, there is a winner and a loser. And while it remains too early to determine who won and who lost in the McCarthy-Minnesota split, the quarterback certainly appears to have the early lead.
While he heads into his third start on Thursday, and first start in front of a Giants home crowd, the Vikings head into a “Monday Night Football” showcase against the Buffalo Bills tonight with Carson Wentz starting in place of an injured Kyler Murray.
Murray has struggled all season long, and the team pulled him from the lineup this week due to hamstring tightness. Minnesota later upgraded the QB’s status to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, though questions persist about how serious Murray’s injury is and how much his benching has to do with that compared to his struggles/the frustrations they have caused players like Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings have lost just one game this season, which came last week against the Detroit Lions. As of early Monday afternoon, Minnesota is a 3.5-point home underdog against the visiting Bills, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Vikings Former QB JJ McCarthy Gets Significant Update on Hip Injury