As Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was on the team's injury report ahead of playing the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the young player has a final status for the contest. With the Vikings signal-caller in McCarthy having an injured hand, it wasn't serious enough to keep him out, as he'll be starting under center against the NFC North rivals.
Reported by NFL insider Tom Pelissero, McCarthy was taken off Minnesota's injury report and is “good to go” for Sunday, though Jonathan Greenard and Ryan Kelly will be out.
“Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (right hand) is off the injury report and is good to go Sunday vs. Chicago,” Pelissero wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “DE Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) and C Ryan Kelly (concussion) are out.”
The hand injury was sustained in the third quarter of last Sunday's 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when McCarthy hit his hand on a player's helmet. Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell would say after the game that he didn't envision it impacting his “preparation,” according to Sports Illustrated.
“He hit it on a helmet at one point, late in the game,” O’Connell said on Wednesday. “Everything’s checked out. . . . Don’t see that affecting his week of preparation very much at all.”
Vikings' J.J. McCarthy ready to move ahead of hand injury
While fans lock in their bold predictions for the Vikings' upcoming game against the Bears, McCarthy is looking to have a relatively healthy rest of the season. It has no doubt been a frustrating year for McCarthy, who's missed time for several injuries, but there is no doubt that mentally, he's ready to prove the doubters wrong.
“If you get your hand slammed in a car door, it's going to feel different for everything you do with that hand,” McCarthy said, via ESPN. “There's no excuses. We're warriors and we've got to push through.”
So far this season in four gams, McCarthy has thrown for 692 yards to go along with five touchdowns and six interceptions, looking to stack solid outings. At any rate, Minnesota is currently at a 4-5 record, with McCarthy looking to get a huge win over the Bears on Sunday.
