EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy cleared concussion protocol Thursday, his final step in returning to the starting lineup in time for Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders.
McCarthy suffered the concussion during a 23-6 loss in Week 12 to the Green Bay Packers and missed last week’s 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Speaking Thursday with local reporters, he said he couldn’t specify a play that caused the injury.
“Every single game kind of feels like you get kicked in the face by a donkey,” McCarthy said amid a season in which he has missed as many games (six) because of injuries as he has played.
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The Vikings hope McCarthy can remain in the lineup for their final five regular-season games as they look ahead to 2026 roster decisions. Coach Kevin O’Connell said this week that he has abandoned his seasonlong focus on McCarthy’s mechanics and instead wants him to concentrate on decision-making and avoiding the kind of open-field contact that caused his two major injuries this year — a high right ankle sprain in Week 2 and the concussion.
“There will be time to fundamentally focus on things and continue building this layer and a foundation that will be important for him into the future,” O’Connell said. “But now it feels like he’s got enough experience. He knows a lot of these principles that we’ve talked about. I want him to have a clear head and a clear mind to just go play, but play with an understanding of the decisions that I make with the ball in my hand, the decisions that I make as a passer, and as we’ve learned, very important as a runner to protect himself and make sure that we can keep him in there.”
McCarthy said Thursday that he’s a “natural overthinker.” While making clear that he does not blame the coaching staff for pushing him hard on mechanics and footwork during the season, he said his concern about it falls “into the bucket” of overthinking.
“Just worrying about things,” he said of how the focus on mechanics might have affected him. “Like on the 12th hole, you’re not going to switch up your golf swing and stuff like that. But there’s always ways to refine it. There’s always little mental cues that you’re going to take throughout that game. But yeah, the mechanics thing … it’s always going to be a continued process to grow and be as efficient as possible.”
