Vikings Provide Clarity on JJ McCarthy’s Status for Lions Game

The Minnesota Vikings finally appear ready to transition back to J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback.

McCarthy has watched from the sidelines for the last six weeks (five games and the bye) as backup Carson Wentz has led a shaky offense to a 2-3 record. An ankle sprain knocked McCarthy out of the lineup just two weeks into his second NFL season, and some analysts have speculated that his struggles early on led head coach Kevin O’Connell to hold him out longer than necessary in favor of a veteran presence in Wentz.

But Wentz struggled mightily for the second game in a row against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Thursday Night Football,” completing 15-of-27 passes for 144 yards, one TD and one INT while taking five sacks. The defense was also bad, allowing 37 points in a 27-point road loss.

“There’s really not much, if anything, to really take positive out of the game,” O’Connell said during a press conference on Friday, October 24.

The one thing that O’Connell was positive about was the health of a handful of his injured players, including McCarthy. O’Connell spoke optimistically about McCarthy’s status, offering a strong indication, though not a definitive declaration, that the 22-year-old QB will be ready to go against the Detroit Lons on November 2.

“I do feel positive about where both Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw are today,” O’Connell said. “The same can be said for J.J. McCarthy at the quarterback position. He will get some work in. Got some work today and will hopefully get some work throughout the early part of the week, which will lead him into a full week of preparation. And [I] feel positive about where he’s at as well.”

JJ McCarthy Hasn’t Played Particularly Well in 2 NFL Starts, but Could Provide Spark Vikings Currently Missing

GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.

What McCarthy will be able to give the Vikings on the field is a matter of legitimate debate. However, after three losses in four games and an average of 18.5 points per contest over that stretch, a couple things the 22-year-old QB might be able to offer are a spark of energy and a bit of hope that the team can turn around its season.

Kirk Herbstreit asserted on the TNF broadcast that McCarthy has the “it” factor, adding that he’s the type of personality for whom teammates can gear up to play at the highest level. That proved true when McCarthy accounted for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, erasing an 11-point deficit and earning a win in his first-ever NFL start.

But McCarthy struggled up until that point in the game, then had a tough second outing in a blowout home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He has tallied 301 yards, two TDs and three INTs on 58.5% passing in two games this season.

Vikings Have Minimal Options at QB Outside of JJ McCarthy

GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Minnesota doesn’t really have anywhere else to turn under center, save for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.

The Vikings could look to add a quarterback, though free agency is a pretty empty cupboard at this point in the year. The other option is to consider the trade market.

Kirk Cousins‘ name has popped back up as a potential option for the Vikings, though the team has just one game remaining against Detroit 10 days from now before the league’s trade deadline passes on November 4.

Detroit Lions and Maxx Crosby the Focus of Trade Chatter

Judging by the Detroit Lions‘ strong 5-2 record heading into their bye week, it’s a given that their roster is solid, but that isn’t stopping NFL experts and analysts from proposing that the Lions work out a major trade to beef up their defense. The Lions just wrapped up a winning Week 7 against the 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, October 19, and the final score was 24-9, despite the team’s injured secondary.

The Detroit Lions’ defense is spearheaded by defensive end Aidan Hutchison

, who has six sacks to date this season, linebacker Jack Campbell, who’s clocked 34 tackles and defensive back Brian Branch, with 23 tackles, according to NFL statistics and research

. They would benefit from having another strong edge rusher in the fold, and even though they have Marcus Davenport set to return in November or December, it would take some pressure off of Hutchinson to have another A-list edge rusher.

Enter Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, who has accumulated 63.5 sacks in his career. He’s been on the wish-list of Lions enthusiasts for years now. Crosby is a 

Michigan native, who is from Lapeer, and played football at Eastern Michigan. Crosby and Hutchinson would be the kind of duo that would scare any NFL opponent.

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Maxx Crosby Gets Mentioned With the Detroit Lions, Again

The Las Vegas Raiders are hurting right now. The team’s record is 2-5 after losing in an embarrassing fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, October 19, with a 

final score of 31-0. Yes, that means the Raiders didn’t even get one point on the board against the Chiefs.

So, even though Crosby has said multiple times that he’s a Las Vegas Raiders lifer, we all know that doesn’t mean much in the NFL. If Crosby wants to win a championship, he’ll have to jump ship.

In a Tuesday, October 21 feature for Bleacher Report, NFL analyst and expert Moe Moton proposes a trade that would bring Crosby to the Lions. The Raiders get a 2026 1st-round pick, 2026 4th-round pick, 2027 1st-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick and DT Roy Lopez, and the Lions get Crosby.

Now, Crosby is excellent, but that’s a lot to trade away just to get a good edge rusher. Plus, the Lions still have to work out a contract with Hutch, which will cost a pretty penny. Add to that how Al-Quadin Muhammad and Alim McNeill have stepped up in the wake of Davenport being out, and it really wouldn’t make much sense to take this proposal.

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Analyzing the Maxx Crosby and Detroit Lions Trade Proposal

But, Moton’s idea isn’t horrible. “From a football perspective, Detroit would have arguably the league’s best pass-rushing duo with Crosby and Aidan Hutchinson bookending its defensive line,” he notes.

Moton adds, “The Lions have $25.1 million in cap space. They will likely sign Hutchinson to a massive extension in the near future, but the front office can structure his new deal to incorporate Crosby’s contract in the short term, though the budget will get tight in the years to come.”

In the end, this proposal isn’t in the best interest of the Detroit Lions, because the Lions would have to give up so much to get Crosby. If Brad Holmes wants to prevent Crosby from going to a competitor, it would solve that problem, but overall, this idea is really a pipe dream. 

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