At 4-7 and last in the crowded NFC North entering Thanksgiving week games, the Vikings obviously hoped this year would have resulted in better positioning heading into December. Minnesota waited patiently for J.J. McCarthy to make his debut after he sat out his first professional year following a torn meniscus after the Vikings selected him 10th overall in 2024.
It's been a trying year for McCarthy, who is 2-4 as a starter and missed five games because of a high ankle sprain. His most recent start (in a 23-6 loss to the Packers) increased the volume of the critiques of his performance in his redshirt rookie season. In that contest, the young quarterback threw for just 87 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions (plus a lost fumble). His adjusted yards per attempt was -0.16, and he was sacked five times for a loss of 35 yards.
