The Minnesota Vikings are set to have second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy back under center for Week 9 against the Detroit Lions. After being out since Week 2 due to an ankle injury, the Vikings are hoping to see their young quarterback rise to the occasion in his return to the field.
Unfortunately, Carson Wentz has gone down for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. McCarthy will be the guy moving forward for Minnesota barring a trade ahead of the upcoming deadline.
In the first two games of the year, McCarthy looked a bit shaky. He completed 58.5 percent of his pass attempts for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also running for 50 yards and another score.
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At just 22 years old, the Vikings are asking for a lot from their young signal caller. Whether or not he can step up and help lead the team towards the playoffs remains to be seen.
With that being said, McCarthy has received a dire warning ahead of Week 9 action against the Lions.
Danny Heifetz of The Ringer spoke out with a very harsh take about the young quarterback. He is not expecting much success from McCarthy moving forward this season.
“The Vikings, to this point in the season, had the easiest schedule in the NFL. The Vikings going forward have the hardest schedule in the NFL,” Heifetz said. “So McCarthy comes back, he’s gonna get rocked. He’s clearly not ready for the NFL, and the Vikings are a win-now team.”
Not only does Heifetz expect McCarthy to struggle this season, he doesn’t expect those struggles to change in 2026.
“The timelines are totally mismanaged. He’s not gonna play well. And if he doesn’t, the whole offseason is gonna be, ‘What do the Vikings do?’” Heifetz said. “You gonna go with just J.J. McCarthy again? They had Daniel Jones last year, let him go. They had Sam Darnold, they let him go. [McCarthy] has more pressure on him than any quarterback going into next year.”
Of course, McCarthy can start quieting the doubters with a strong game in Week 9. Beating Detroit would be huge for Minnesota overall, but it would be even bigger for McCarthy and his confidence.
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There is no denying the talent and potential that the former Michigan standout quarterback possesses. He could end up being a long-term franchise option for the Vikings.
However, he has a lot of work to do on his game. It will be interesting to see what kind of game he can piece together against the Lions.
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