{"id":185577,"date":"2024-08-17T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T15:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=185577"},"modified":"2024-08-16T23:51:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T03:51:52","slug":"why-your-expectations-for-the-vikings-shouldnt-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/17\/why-your-expectations-for-the-vikings-shouldnt-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Expectations For The Vikings Shouldn\u2019t Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> opened their season with a 24-23 win against the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>. Just a week ago, optimism was at an all-time high. J.J. McCarthy<\/a> flashed his talent and growth from his college days, throwing for two touchdowns and making plays with his legs.<\/p>\n

The following Monday, McCarthy reported \u201cknee soreness,\u201d and Kevin O\u2019Connell said to media members that there wasn\u2019t much concern, and they\u2019d do preliminary tests just to be sure. As you probably know by now, those tests showed he had a torn meniscus, and a few days later, he had a full repair done, which will cause him to miss the 2024 season.<\/a><\/p>\n

What This Means For J.J. McCarthy\u2019s Development<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no way to spin this as a good thing. As one of the youngest quarterbacks in the league, McCarthy often got the \u201cproject\u201d label from every scouting report you read and YouTube video you watched. Whether it was his deep accuracy, footwork, or building chemistry with his new receivers, all those are now on the back burner while he rehabs every day for about six months.
\nWhile that\u2019s unfortunate, this season will be for mental reps, sitting in the quarterback and offensive meetings with O\u2019Connell, Josh McCown<\/a>, and all the other talented coaches the Vikings have. McCarthy will learn from Sam Darnold<\/a> and Nick Mullens, pick their brains after watching them in games that count, and experience it all while rehabbing.<\/p>\n

This is by no means the scenario the Vikings or anyone wanted. McCarthy will learn from a group of smart and capable coaches who were hired specifically to develop him, and by the next training camp, McCarthy will be ready to build off that impressive preseason game, presumably going into the season as the starter.<\/p>\n

\n

Highlights of JJ McCarthy's preseason debut pic.twitter.com\/ywRbZnSw6F<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jake B \u303d\ufe0f (@MichFootballBEL) August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n