J.J.

McCarthy

The game could not have gotten off to a worse start for McCarthy as he watched a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage fall into the waiting hands of Quinnen Williams on his first pass attempt, resulting in a Javonte Williams touchdown plunge from one yard out five minutes later. The two teams traded blows for the remainder of the first half, taking a deadlocked 17-17 game into the break. It was the Vikings that had the last laugh after two missed field goals by Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, with McCarthy’s second touchdown toss to Jalen Nailor the nail in the coffin of the Dallas season. The Vikings were eliminated from postseason contention earlier in the day with the win by the Bears but continue to establish momentum as they look forward to 2026, with the recent play by McCarthy sure to weigh on the team’s decisions in the offseason. They’ll get the sinking Giants in Week 16.

We probably should have seen this coming against a dreadful Commanders defense. McCarthy was in sync with his offense early in this one, leading touchdown drives of 61 and 98 yards on the Vikings’ first two possessions. McCarthy connected with Josh Oliver on an 18-yard touchdown pass for his first score of the day, and later found Oliver again on a six-yard score in the third quarter to put the Vikings up 24-0. He would cap his best start of the season with a two-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson in the fourth quarter just for good measure. McCarthy was good in nearly every aspect of this one. He completed 4-of-6 passes on third down, and utilized his feet to evade pressure on several occasions. We’ll see if he can string together back-to-back good outings in Week 15 against the Cowboys. Fantasy managers shouldn’t view him as anything more than a low-end QB2 until we see play like this become the norm.

Rapoport doesn’t cite any sources, but it’s hard to imagine the Vikings going into 2026 without a better plan at quarterback than they had for 2025. J.J. McCarthy has struggled mightily and may have already played himself out of the starting job for next year. The team tried out Carson Wentz as the veteran backup to McCarthy and it ended in disaster. Wentz was ineffective as a passer and could not protect himself, resulting in a season-ending shoulder injury. The Vikings will undoubtedly spend more on a veteran passer next time around. Expect a true quarterback competition next summer unless McCarthy turns things around in the final month of the season.

McCarthy resumed practicing fully yesterday, so today’s official clearance makes sense. The error-prone quarterback will attempt to engineer offensive points against the Commanders on Sunday. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown for 289-plus yards in seven games against the Commanders this season, though McCarthy’s play gives us no confidence in his ability to join that fantasy-friendly production level.

McCarthy missed Week 13 with the brain injury. Despite being one of the least efficient quarterbacks in recent memory, McCarthy still proved to be a better option than Max Brosmer once the latter took the field. Brosmer was intercepted four times versus Seattle, including one pick-six. McCarthy isn’t on the fantasy radar, even if a great matchup versus the Commanders. He might, however, be able to keep the light on for Justin Jefferson as a WR3.

He can be cleared from concussion protocol as soon as Monday. The Commanders would represent a step down in competition for McCarthy (or Max Brosmer) after two rounds in the Packers-Seahawks torture chamber, but neither of these players can be reliably started in superflex leagues given how poor they and the Vikings offense have been of late.

Brosmer was as overwhelmed as you’d imagine he’d be in his first NFL start against a stellar Seattle secondary. He made a series of basic mistakes, with the worst coming on a fourth down in the red zone when Brosmer flipped the ball to a group of Seahawks defenders — a play that resulted in a pick-six — rather than simply taking a long sack. With no arm strength and a near-total inability to find a secondary target if the first-read target was covered, Brosmer melted down and all but ensured J.J. McCarthy will be back under center as soon as he clears the league’s concussion protocol. Brosmer, an undrafted free agent, has likely made his last NFL start.

McCarthy got in limited sessions all week and should be a possibility to play in Week 14, if the Vikings actually want to do that to themselves. Max Brosmer will start in Week 13.

McCarthy remains in the league’s concussion protocol but is making quick progress. Still, the Vikings appear to be prepping UDFA rookie Max Bromser to start. Bromser is taking the first-team reps in today’s practice. Given McCarthy’s struggles, this could be a chance for Bromser to take the job for the remainder of the year.

The Vikings let Jones walk in free agency last offseason, along with Sam Darnold. With the J.J. McCarthy experiment all but dead after his historically awful play in 2025, Fowler said the Vikings could sign a veteran to compete for the startig QB job in 2026. “The funny thing about that scenario is Jones would be an ideal fit in Minnesota, where he backed up Sam Darnold last season. But as the top free agent quarterback, he will score a sizable deal in Indianapolis or elsewhere,” Fowler said. “Still, the Vikings really liked Jones, and their situation this offseason will be far different than the one from a year ago. Making a play for Jones would give him multiple options to consider.” Though Jones has struggled of late, his play is much improved from his final seasons in New York. He could have several free agency suitors barring a disastrous finish to the regular season.