Vikings Officially Name Starting QB at Lions
Carson Wentz won’t return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, and his career could be kaput after opting for season-ending shoulder surgery this week. The veteran passer is on the shelf, and accordingly, now healthy, 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy will return this week to his QB1 job.
After a few weeks of fans wondering — weekly — who would play quarterback for the Vikings, there’s no mystery in Week 9, with the Lions on the horizon.
For a team that embarked on quarterback mystery in the last month, Week 9 doesn’t have lingering questions. It’s McCarthy’s time, alas.
J.J. McCarthy to Start for Vikings after Recovery from High Ankle Sprain
The youngster eyes start No. 3 of his career.
McCarthy Is Back — Finally
McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain on September 14th against the Atlanta Falcons, an injury that takes four to six weeks for recovery on average for an NFL quarterback. Almost six weeks to the date of the injury — right in line with the average recovery time — head coach Kevin O’Connell announced that McCarthy will be under center this Sunday.
O’Connell told KFAN’s Paul Allen, “As far as actual game action, J.J. McCarthy is going to start his third game against the Detroit Lions coming up this Sunday.”
And there it is: the return of McCarthy after a five-game absence.
Max Brosmer at QB2
While O’Connell was in no hurry last Thursday night to get Brosmer involved in the QB2 scene, he would have no other choice this weekend and beyond to use him if McCarthy — avert your eyes — got injured again.
With Wentz on injured reserve, and new passer John Wolford on the practice squad, Brosmer is officially the next man up behind McCarthy. O’Connell said after the Week 8 loss that he’d rather not see Brosmer get pummeled like Wentz, possibly destroying his confidence as a rookie, but now that’s totally on the table.
Of course, the goal is for McCarthy to stay healthy, making Brosmer and Wolford irrelevant. Stay tuned.
A Brutal Opponent for McCarthy’s Return
McCarthy has several storylines smacking him in the face this Sunday.
Foremost, he’s never personally lost a game in the state of Michigan. His Wolverines were undefeated on his watch at the University of Michigan. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions might be the very best team in the NFC, though the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers probably disagree. McCarthy faces a daunting opponent in his third career game.
And — the Vikings haven’t defeated the Lions in three years, and also haven’t won at Ford Field since 2020. Minnesota is blatantly overdue for a dub over Detroit. It’s time for McCarthy to help with that quest.
Vegas Expects a Beatdown
On the other hand, the powers that be in NFL odds-making believe Minnesota will be spanked in Week 9. The Vikings are 9.5-point underdogs, marking their largest underdog status since the end of the 2021 season, when the franchise lost to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Detroit hasn’t been unbeatable this season, but it is fresh off a bye week, and Minnesota was recently flogged by the Los Angeles Chargers 37-10.
If McCarthy helps slay the dragon at Ford Field, it will be Minnesota’s first upset as an eight-point underdog or more in 15 years.
Jordan Addison as the Special Sauce?
Addison built rapport with McCarthy at Vikings training camp, as Justin Jefferson missed most of the event with a bad hamstring. In that vein, with McCarthy throwing the ball to Addison for the first time in a regular season game, the two could unlock magic.
Zone Coverage‘s Tom Schreier wrote this week, “Jefferson is still Minnesota’s star receiver and has been more productive with Wentz than Addison. Jefferson has 34 receptions for 477 yards since Wentz took over for McCarthy in Week 3.”
“However, Addison isn’t far behind with 21 receptions for 309. Defenses focus primarily on stopping Jefferson, which should open things up for Addison, Hockenson, and Minnesota’s tertiary targets. Still, while Wentz has frequently overthrown Jefferson, he seems to reflectively hit Addison on the numbers in high-leverage situations. McCarthy never had Addison as an outlet.”
Addison missed McCarthy’s first two starts due to a suspension.
“That doesn’t fully explain his inability to get out of the huddle quickly, taking sacks in crucial situations, or that pick-six in Chicago. Still, a receiver who can get open like Addison can be a young quarterback’s best friend, especially as a second option to Jefferson. The big question is whether their chemistry from training camp, which feels like eons ago, will carry over to a Week 9 game in Detroit,” Schreier continued.
“It feels odd looking back at what Jordan Addison said about J.J. McCarthy halfway through the season. But, in many ways, Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions is their last chance at a reset. Much rides on McCarthy’s shoulders. Fortunately, Addison will be there to lighten the load.”
Minnesota has the league’s most difficult docket remaining per strength of schedule.
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