J.J. McCarthy’s Story Still There for the Taking
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings could have started J.J. McCarthy. It would have kept Carson Wentz from crying on the field and being beaten to a pulp. It would also have brought him back from a high ankle sprain against his former college head coach, Jim Harbaugh.
J.J. McCarthy is starting for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and the storyline is still ripe for a fun return to the lineup.
Of course, that didn’t happen, and the Vikings ultimately got their tails kicked by the Los Angeles Chargers. Now with McCarthy set to make his return to a starting role, there is still room for a storybook narrative.
The Time Is Now for J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy was born in Evanston, Illinois. He grew up watching the Chicago Bears. His first NFL game came against that team at Soldier Field, and he led the Vikings to a surprising 4th-quarter comeback. Now with the Detroit Lions on deck, and a game at Ford Field, he could knock off yet another NFC North opponent.
When looking at the division, it’s hard to decipher whether the Lions or the Green Bay Packers are truly the cream of the crop. Either way, it’s one of those two teams, and the Vikings find themselves staring up at both of them. It’s unlikely a 3-4 Minnesota team, welcoming the return of a quarterback with two career starts, is going to make noise. If they are, though, knocking off the Lions is a good place to start.
McCarthy has faced a pair of opponents that are substantially worse than what Detroit will throw at him. Even though Dan Campbell lost both his offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason, he still has the team in a very good spot. McCarthy will see looks that neither Chicago nor Atlanta threw at him, and it will be on Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell to prepare him for the exposure.
A win by Minnesota would send ripples throughout the NFC and the league as a whole. At this point, the Vikings are at a critical juncture in their season, and the more surprises they can pull off, the better off they could find themselves a few months from now.
There was substantial belief behind McCarthy coming into the year. These are the moments that trust can be vindicated.
You must be logged in to post a comment.