Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will start Sunday’s season finale against the Green Bay Packers, the team announced Friday.
McCarthy missed last week’s victory over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day due to a hairline fracture in his right hand. Max Brosmer got the start with McCarthy sidelined, completing nine of 16 passes for only 51 yards in the win.
This will be McCarthy’s 10th start of the season in his first year as Minnesota’s primary quarterback after they selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft. He’s missed time due to a variety of injuries this season, including a five-game stretch earlier in the campaign due to a high-ankle sprain.
McCarthy has one final chance in Week 18 to prove he can be the Vikings’ quarterback for the 2026 season. Out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in 2025, he ranks 31st in success rate and 33rd in EPA/play, according to Ben Baldwin’s database.