J.J. McCarthy takes himself out of Vikings Week 18 game with right hand injury Chris Cwik January 5, 2026 at 1:49 AM 0 J.J. McCarthy takes himself out of Vikings Week 18 game with right hand injury Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy's rocky first season appears to have ended early. The 22yearold McCarthy is questionable to return against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 after taking himself out of the contest with a right hand injury. McCarthy appeared to take himself out of the game after throwing a screen pass in the third quarter.
- - J.J. McCarthy takes himself out of Vikings Week 18 game with right hand injury
Chris Cwik January 5, 2026 at 1:49 AM
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J.J. McCarthy takes himself out of Vikings Week 18 game with right hand injury
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy's rocky first season appears to have ended early. The 22-year-old McCarthy is questionable to return against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 after taking himself out of the contest with a right hand injury.
McCarthy appeared to take himself out of the game after throwing a screen pass in the third quarter. After the play, McCarthy motioned to the sideline that he needed to come out of the game.
Here's J.J. McCarthy leaving the game for the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/xTtF3OHCY7
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) January 4, 2026
While it was initially unclear why McCarthy needed to leave the contest, the Vikings later ruled him questionable to return due to a right hand injury.
McCarthy missed the team's Week 17 game after sustaining a hairline fracture in his right hand in Week 16. Despite the injury, McCarthy was able to return to practice ahead of Week 18. After being limited in practice Wednesday, McCarthy turned in a full practice Thursday, and was deemed healthy enough to start the contest.
After leaving the game in the third quarter, McCarthy was replaced by rookie Max Brosmer, who took a sack on his second passing attempt of the day.
Brosmer remained in the game on the Vikings' next offensive drive, a sign McCarthy could be done for the day.
If that's it for McCarthy, it ends a roller-coaster season for the first-year starter. After being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season while recovering from knee surgery.
Despite a successful season with Sam Darnold under center in 2024, the Vikings allowed Darnold to leave in free agency, paving the way for McCarthy to open the season as the team's unquestioned starter.
That decision backfired. Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC this season, while McCarthy struggled to find his footing as an NFL starter. McCarthy also battled injuries again, limiting his time under center.
In his nine starts prior to Week 18, McCarthy completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. McCarthy did not throw a touchdown or an interception before leaving in Week 18. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 182 yards before exiting.
With McCarthy's season likely over, the Vikings will be forced to make a tough decision in the offseason. McCarthy had moments of brilliance during the season — a Week 1 comeback win over the Chicago Bears and a three-touchdown performance against the Washington Commanders in Week 14 stand out — but too often failed to elevate his game enough to lift the offense to its previous heights under Darnold. After ranking ninth in points per game last season, the Vikings fell to 26th in the metric in 2025.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell — who is expected to stick around despite the Vikings missing out on the playoffs — will need to decide whether McCarthy showed enough in his first healthy season to warrant another shot as a starer or whether the team needs an upgrade at the position.
The Vikings still had a strong defense and multiple offensive playmakers, so an upgrade at quarterback could go a long way toward the team getting back into contention as early as next season.
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Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: Sports
Published: January 04, 2026 at 10:27PM on Source: RED MAG
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