JJ McCarthy did not play for the Vikings in Week 1 against the Giants and is still feeling the pain of not being with his teammates.
“It's tough. It's like I've been kicked in the balls,” McCarthy told reporters Friday at the TCO Performance Center, speaking for the first time since suffering a season-ending knee injury against the Raiders on Aug. 10. “But you've got to take any challenge life throws at you and put a positive into it.”
The rookie completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his lone preseason game, while also rushing twice for 18 yards.
He still isn't sure exactly when in the game he was injured.
“I was on adrenaline for the entire 60 minutes,” he said, “and I didn't really feel it until I was going down the stairs and my knees started giving way.”
McCarthy underwent surgery to completely repair his meniscus on Aug. 14 and will miss his entire rookie season while former Jets point guard and first-round draft pick Sam Darnold takes over the offensive line.
Darnold was on a one-year contract and was expected to be a bridge quarterback for McCarthy, who will likely take over at the helm in Minnesota later in the season.
The injury gave Darnold a chance to revive his career as a full-time starter and replace the departed Kirk Cousins.
McCarthy had a solid season with the talented University of Michigan Wolverines in 2023 and won a national championship.
McCarthy certainly benefited from the best defense in the country, limiting opponents to just 10.4 points per game, by far the best among Division I college football teams.
He threw for 2,991 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Minnesota will also be without star tight end TJ Hockenson early in the season.
The Vikings placed him on the reserve/physically unable to play list, meaning he will miss the first six weeks of the regular season.
