Due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2, J.J. McCarthy won't be joining his teammates on the field on Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings host the Cincinnati Bengals inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
McCarthy's injury happened at the end of a play in Minnesota's Week 2 loss after Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss executed what looked like an illegal hip-drop tackle to bring the quarterback down.
No flags were thrown after Elliss's tackle on McCarthy, and on Saturday, the NFL agreed with the game officials' decision not to penalize the Falcons for the play, as the league didn't fine the Atlanta defender for his tackle on the Vikings quarterback.
NFL sends major message to Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy by not fining Atlanta Falcons LB Kaden Elliss
McCarthy has only appeared in two NFL games in his pro career, and the league let him know with its decision on Saturday that he still has a long way to go before he's going to get any sort of extra protection that established quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Aaron Rodgers receive throughout each season.
Just imagine if Mahomes was the one on the receiving end of the Elliss hip-drop tackle. A hefty fine from the NFL would have been guaranteed for the Falcons linebacker, and the play would've probably resulted in a penalty for Atlanta in the actual game as well.
Some might not view this as fair (and it's not), but it's really how the league has operated throughout its entire existence.
If the NFL views a player, and especially a quarterback, as someone who is important to the popularity of the league, then there will likely be a bit of an extra effort made to ensure that player remains healthy and on the field each week.
Hopefully, McCarthy gets to this level one day, as it would likely mean that he's emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. But the league definitely let him know on Saturday that he still has plenty of work to do before he's on the receiving end of any favorable calls.