Breaking News Update: Vikings McCarthy to Miss Season After Surgery – Their worst fears have turned into a reality, first Teddy Bridgewater, then Kirk Cousins and now J.J. McCarthy. The Minnesota Vikings faithful will have to hold their breath and wait a long while to see McCarthy on the gridiron.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee during an August 30 practice in 2016, tearing his ACL and dislocating his knee. He was placed on season-ending IR and underwent successful surgery.
Cousins tore the Achilles during Week 8 last year against their division rival Green Bay Packers and missed the rest of the regular season.
The 2024 first-round pick out of the University of Michigan, selected 10th overall, underwent a full meniscus repair on Wednesday. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced the sobering news that he will be out for the entire 2024 season.
“He’s confirmed everything that I hoped to see early in training camp through his performance last Saturday,” O’Connell said, “but our fan base and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building. And now it’s about the unique aspect of continuing a very critical development process for him, where maybe the physical reps aren’t going to be there in the short term, but this is going to be a small bump in the road.”
McCarthy injured himself in his NFL preseason debut on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders. He found a way to gut it out and remained in the game despite his knee being sore, and the Vikings examined it two days later. The team discovered a torn meniscus in McCarthy’s knee, but said they would not know the seriousness of the injury and a timetable for return until surgery was performed.
Embed from Getty Images“Other quarterbacks in our league have gone through similar things early on in their journey and came back better and stronger than ever, and that is not only my expectation, but I know that is going to happen for J.J,” O’Connell said. “We’ll have a great plan for him not only in the quarterback room with those other guys, but a process so that him and I can continue to build our rapport and make sure there is a day-to-day football process.”
McCarthy was not expected to start Week 1 of the regular season. The team’s plan was for six-year veteran Sam Darnold to begin the season as QB1 to allow McCarthy time to sit and learn. That decision was finalized for the team in the worse way possible with McCarthy’s injury.
For the time being, Vikings fans will have to hold onto the images of McCarthy’s first preseason game. He played very well. He completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders. The lions share of his work came against defensive players came against backup or players that will not make the team at all, however, he still looked in control and made some nice throws. It was a worthwhile debut, followed by some bad injury news.
The Vikings will not rush and be careful with McCarthy’s return. They traded up one spot to the 10th overall pick to take McCarthy and have been bringing him along slowly and of doing what is best for his long-term future and development ever since picking him. That plan did not include a preseason injury, which puts a significant strain on the Vikings season before it even starts.
“I really believe that J.J. has kind of confirmed to me and a lot of our coaches and players that we got the right guy in the building for the future,” O’Connell said. “And he did it in a short amount of time. That’s what makes this news hard. Because you know just how exciting it would have been as a daily, minute-to-minute process moving forward. But I think that optimism should be felt by anybody in our building and hopefully our fans.”
And…
Ravens’ Andrews Involved in Car Crash – Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was involved in a car accident early Wednesday morning in which he did not sustain “any apparent injuries,” according to the team.
In a statement, Andrews called the accident “a great reminder about the importance of wearing seatbelts and remaining alert while driving a car.”
The car accident happened while Andrews was driving to the Ravens’ practice facility in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Andrews was evaluated by medical personnel at the training facility. He is “expected to return to practice in the coming days,” the Ravens said. Andrews was originally scheduled for a veteran off day Wednesday. He was a participant in the Ravens’ morning meetings after the accident, the team said.
Andrews is quarterback Lamar Jackson favorite target and security blanket once again following a 2023 campaign limited by a severe ankle injury the tight end suffered in Week 11.
That cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury, suffered following a hip-drop tackle, caused Andrews to miss six regular-season contest and one playoff game during the Ravens’ run to the AFC Championship Game.
When healthy, Andrews caught 45 balls for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 10 appearances. Andrews has totaled 381 receptions for 4,857 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns throughout his six seasons with the Ravens, which he has mostly spent catching passes from Jackson.
The three-time Pro Bowl tight end is now heading into the second season of his four-year, $56 million extension he and the Ravens came together on in 2021.
The Ravens could decide to pull back the reins and be cautious with managing Andrews’ return to practice. The veteran tight end staying healthy this season will be paramount to Baltimore’s hopes of winning a Super Bowl with Jackson.
