Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not played since he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2, but he dressed for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers as an emergency backup. That led to a lot of questions from fans.
McCarthy was shown on the “Thursday Night Football” broadcast multiple times during the Chargers’ 37-10 win over the Vikings at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The second-year quarterback was in full pads and wearing an ear piece.
McCarthy looked like he was ready to play, especially when his teammate Justin Jefferson was shoved out of bounds early in the second quarter. The former Michigan star made a fairly acrobatic move to avoid having his legs taken out by Jefferson.
J.J. McCarthy avoids Justin Jefferson and celebrates a first down pic.twitter.com/p8Smoob1FE
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 24, 2025
That particular play left many fans wondering why McCarthy is not back under center for the Vikings.
His ankle looked fine there! 😂
— 💥💥 RockBottom 💥💥 (@RockBottom_17) October 24, 2025
Ankle looks fine to me pic.twitter.com/PvQZOCo249
— SKOLIOSIS (@JC__Takes) October 24, 2025
Inactive (Soft Benching)
— Eazy (@SpeakEZsports_) October 24, 2025
🤣 this team is protecting him way too much. Can’t redshirt JJ two seasons in a row! 😂
— DK BRO (@cardofdreams) October 24, 2025
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters after the game that McCarthy will be the team’s starter again when the QB is healthy.
“If J.J. is healthy, J.J. will play,” O’Connell said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “That’s been the case since the injury. That’s always been kind of my mindset, and I believe we’re right — hopefully — around the corner from seeing him be healthy, have a week of preparation and go compete.”
What many people don’t understand is why McCarthy would be dressed as the emergency quarterback if he were not healthy enough to play. That has led to speculation that McCarthy has been “soft benched” by the Vikings, which would mean they are using the ankle injury as an excuse to have him sit out.
McCarthy helped orchestrate a historic fourth-quarter comeback in Week 1, but he did not play well overall before hurting his ankle in Week 2. Carson Wentz has also been playing through a significant left shoulder injury and took a beating on Thursday night. He was hit with the meme treatment for how poorly he played.
It would not be a surprise to see McCarthy back starting in Week 9.