While the signs have already been pointing to J.J. McCarthy not starting in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks due to a concussion he suffered this past Sunday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has now all but confirmed this to be what is going to happen.
On Wednesday, O'Connell shared that while McCarthy had cleared enough of the concussion protocol to participate in practice in a limited fashion, he was only able to take part in individual drills. Because of this, rookie Max Brosmer took all of the practice reps with the first-team offense on Wednesday, and John Wolford handled the scout-team reps.
McCarthy hasn't been officially ruled out, but based on his participation level in practice on Wednesday and how much O'Connell has stressed him getting in a full week of practice leading up to each game this season, it now just seems like a matter of time until Brosmer is named Minnesota's starter for Sunday in Seattle.
Signs continue to point to Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy not starting in Week 13 against Seattle Seahawks
McCarthy has already been experiencing some major struggles this season, and most of these haven't been injury-related. So, the Vikings trotting him out there on Sunday when he probably wouldn't be 100 percent just seems like it would be a recipe for disaster.
The odds are against Brosmer leading Minnesota to a win over the Seahawks this weekend, but having him start would at least give McCarthy a chance to take a step back and breathe a bit after putting together some of the worst performances in NFL history in his last few games.
If Brosmer plays well in Seattle and leads the Vikings to an upset victory on Sunday, then McCarthy might end up watching from the sideline for a bit longer. But for now, Minnesota fans shouldn't expect him back in the starting lineup until the team's Week 14 matchup against the Washington Commanders, at the earliest.