Because not only is this team trying to recover from a multi-week business trip to Europe, where most of the team became homesick less than halfway through, but the MN Vikings are doing their best to get healthy too.

Unfortunately, that task is proving much easier spoken than accomplished, especially after Minnesota was devastated by injuries up and down the roster, both before and during their trip overseas. But entering a new week, all eyes are on the Vikings’ QB room.

After Carson Wentz injured his left shoulder during Minnesota’s week 5 win in London against the Browns, the Vikings are down to just one healthy QB. Thankfully, JJ McCarthy is expected to return to practice this week, something NFL insider Tom Pelissero confirmed in a report at NFL Network Sunday morning.

Pelissero: Minnesota Vikings QB situation “murky, to say the least”

That means former Gopher Max Brosmer won’t have to play quarterback for both the Vikings’ first and second team offenses at practices this week. Unfortunately, that was where Tom’s good news ended.

From there, Pelissero reported that neither Wentz or McCarthy are healthy, entering week 7, and that Minnesota’s QB situation vs the Eagles remains “murky, to say the least”.

This morning, @TomPelissero reports that JJ McCarthy's ankle is not 100% yet and that the QB situation entering week 7 is "murky, to say the least"… 👀😵‍💫

"The Vikings quarterback situation is murky, to say the least… He should be able to return to practice this week, but… pic.twitter.com/UHnoyxpDqL

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 12, 2025

“The Vikings quarterback situation is murky, to say the least. JJ McCarthy, I’m told, got good work during the bye week. He should be able to return to practice this week, but McCarthy still is not 100% on that ankle.

They’ve got to see his mobility, they’ve got to see how the ankle responds. And they gotta make sure he is comfortable and in a groove, from an operational perspective, before they put him back out on the field.

Meanwhile, his backup Carson Wentz, dealing with a left shoulder injury, he could be limited in practice this week. A lot to sort through, to figure out who’s going to be on the field next week against the Eagles.”

Tom Pelissero – NFL Network (Sunday, October 12, 2025)

Of course, IF the MN Vikings’ top two quarterbacks cannot get healthy enough to take the field seven days from today, then it will be one-and-done Minnesota Golden Gopher Max Brosmer, who’d be called into action at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday against the Eagles.

Max Brosmer SZN incoming…?

If Wentz isn’t doing team drills to start the week, I’d imagine Brosmer will, at the least, get QB1 reps at practice. In his first NFL season, the hometown undrafted rookie free agent has taken snaps in two games and he’s been active in four games total.

With those opportunities, Brosmer has thrown four passes, all of which came late in the Vikings’ blowout win week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 2 of those 4 attempts, good for 29 passing yards and a 74.0 QB Rating.

Max Brosmer looked extremely comfortable and accurate attacking between the hashes yesterday. Don’t think you can say that about the majority of undrafted QBs. pic.twitter.com/XlglGGsAnd

— Tanner Weber (@Purple_Post) August 10, 2025

Related: Game Moving Too Fast for MN Vikings QB?

Brosmer also took one snap in London against the Cleveland Browns, a kneel-down that came with time expiring in the second quarter, after Carson Wentz exited to the locker room with the left shoulder injury that will limit him at Minnesota Vikings practice this week.

If Max is forced into action next weekend, Vikings fans shouldn’t be all that concerned about an offensive fallout. The line in front of whoever plays QB vs Philly, is expected to be healthier than it has been pretty much all season, and Max Brosmer’s biggest strengths are pre-snap processing and going through progressions quickly.

Titans show single-high, rotate post-snap to cover 2

Max Brosmer spots the rotation right away, speeds up his dropback and delivers a dart on the money for the hole shot to Fleming

This is high end QB play pic.twitter.com/p1bVhkI1K6

— Krauser (@Krauserrific) August 23, 2025

Related: MN Vikings Have Told Max Brosmer to Back Off

Coincidentally, those are the exact traits head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings offense needs more of, from their quarterback. And the Minnesota coaching staff is high on Brosmer for a reason. Should he get his first real NFL shot on Sunday, I expect him to take advantage of it.

The good news — Our MN Vikings will reboot their year as a 3-2 football team and they could be a lot healthier, after head coach Kevin O’Connell brought lots of positive injury news to his press conference on Monday.

It sounds like LG Donovan Jackson could be back, along with backup C Michael Jurgens, ILB Blake Cashman and possibly even 2024 No. 10 overall draft pick, JJ McCarthy.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell expects J.J. McCarthy, Donovan Jackson, Blake Cashman, and Michael Jurgens to be returning to practice in different capacities next week. pic.twitter.com/NUZvJ9jmZF

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 6, 2025

When it comes to their redshirt rookie QB, however, lots of fog remains surrounding the redshirt rookie’s return timeline. Prior to O’Connell’s meeting with media yesterday, most Vikings fans and media had mostly accepted that the Vikings were going to hold McCarthy out until their second week back from the bye.

JJ McCarthy could return sooner than expected… kind of

If they slowplay JJ’s return (for injury reasons of course), it would put him in line to return week 8, when the MN Vikings fly West to face the Los Angeles Chargers. But that was before KOC confirmed Monday — after Jordan Addison originally broke the news — that JJ McCarthy has indeed returned to the TCO Performance practice field in Eagan.

The Vikings plan to have the redshirt rookie throwing throughout the bye, where they hope to ramp him up for a return to team practice early next week. That means JJ McCarthy returning as QB1 directly out of the bye is still a realistic possibility.

An update on JJ McCarthy:

The plan is for him to be at the #Vikings facility during the team’s bye week this week throwing with other players as he continues to advance back from his ankle injury, sources tell @CBSSports.

Minnesota faces the Eagles next week after the bye week. pic.twitter.com/cNiRJurEQb

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 7, 2025

“J.J. got some work today, and he’ll get some work the rest of the week. We’ll pick it up officially next week, but I’m encouraged about where he’s at right now.”

Kevin O’Connell during Monday’s press conference

But there was another note by Kevin O’Connell during his presser that stuck out and could make the recovery of JJ McCarthy even more intriguing to watch over the next two weeks.

Minnesota Vikings concerned about Carson Wentz’ health

After JJ’s replacement, Carson Wentz, left Sunday’s game in London against the Pittsburgh Steelers early with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, he goes into the bye week far from 100%. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings appear concerned about his readiness for week 7, when they come out of the bye.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell provides an update on Carson Wentz pic.twitter.com/WD1qLgdAi1

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 6, 2025

“Just to give you guys an update on Carson [Wentz], we did get back [from London] early this morning, so he is still getting further evaluation. But he is pretty sore in that left shoulder, so that will be something that we’ll be taking a look at throughout this week.”

Kevin O’Connell during Monday’s press conference

Related: Vikings’ Upcoming Opponent Loses Major Weapon on Offense

How sore is Carson Wentz? Well, according to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Wentz’ recent shoulder problems go back farther than week 5. Apparently, the Vikings’ 32-year-old QB2 — who was NOT listed at all on last week’s injury reports — was dealing with a right (thowing) shoulder ailment all last week in London, an injury he suffered in Dublin against the Steelers.

During practice last week, per Lewis’ report, Wentz wasn’t throwing near 100%. And when some of his teammates hit the British links to blow off some steam, the avid golfer was forced to stay back because his right shoulder was in too much pain and needed rest ahead of their game against the Browns.

Carson Wentz dealing with two shoulder injuries?

In the fourth quarter [week 5], Darrisaw, O’Neill, Kelly and injured quarterback J.J. McCarthy were all standing shoulder to shoulder watching the replacement group battle a Browns front deemed by many to be one of the league’s best. The image captured the early-season carnage.

Wentz himself was hobbled. He couldn’t play golf on Tuesday with teammates because of the pounding he took last Sunday against the Steelers. In practice this week, he lobbed passes and tugged at his ribs.

Alec Lewis – The Athletic

Related: Vikings Make Roster Changes After Injury Update

Much like the rest of us, when Wentz hurt his left shoulder on Sunday morning, he too was extremely unsure of whether or not he’d be able to return for the third quarter. Fortunately he did, then proceeded to lead the Vikings on a last-minute game-winning touchdown drive.

Minnesota Vikings starting QB for vs Eagles is anyone’s guess

We have a dozen days between now and the MN Vikings next game, so there is time to figure all of this out. But as of Tuesday, October 7, it appears Kevin O’Connell & Co have very little idea of who will be the team’s starting quarterback week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

If both McCarthy and Wentz are available, the head coach will have a franchise altering decision to make. Should that be the scenario, he has already committed to bringing JJ back as the starter, so until he says otherwise, that’s the expectation.

If only one of the two is available, then the decision will be easy. But for now, it feels just as likely we see QB3, former Gopher, Max Brosmer make his first NFL start, as a UDFA rookie signee. If that happens, hang onto your hats…

Minnesota already put itself through quite the gauntlet early in the season, beating three Super Bowl contenders (San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers). In each game, the Vikings took a two-score lead and offered glimpses of outright dominance.

Related: Minnesota Twins Done with Bally Sports North, What You Need to Know

Of course, there have been some second-half issues and some of our numbers also showcase areas the team will need to address to keep winning. Let’s dive into the Vikings stats that help paint the picture for this team’s undefeated start and critical factors fans need to watch for moving forward.

9.6 – Points per First Quarter by the Minnesota Vikings

One frequent point raised by NFL analysts questioning the legitimacy of the Vikings’ success is that this team is a front-runner. Minnesota likes to play a particular brand of football and they are phenomenal at it, but it does require plenty to be going right.

Taking an early lead means Kevin O’Connell can stick to the ground game with running back Aaron Jones. Jones is especially great at avoiding negative plays, which sets up short third-and-distance for quarterback Sam Darnold and this passing game. Early leads also allow defensive coordinator Brian Flores to maintain his aggressive play-calling.

Related: Latest Injury Update on Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones

• Minnesota Vikings 4th quarter stats: 7.8 points allowed per 4th quarter (26th), 5.0 points per 4th quarter (22nd)

While the analysts do make a reasonable argument, the counterpoint is just that the Vikings are outstanding in their weekly preparation which sets up hot starts. Entering the Week 6 bye, Minnesota leads the NFL in points per first quarter (9.6) and it is allowing the fewest points per game in the first quarter (0.6).

Putting that into perspective, the second-highest-scoring team in the first 15 minutes is the Arizona Cardinals (8.4) and the second-best first-quarter defense in points allowed (1.8, Los Angeles Chargers) trails far behind the Vikings. Minnesota is also joined by the Baltimore Ravens (7.6 and 2.6) as the only two NFL teams to rank in the top five this season.

Related: NFL defense rankings

11 – Number of touches on which Aaron Jones didn’t gain a yard

The Vikings had one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL last season. It got so bad that O’Connell slowly had to start significantly reducing the number of rushing plays, finishing the season with the third-lowest rushing rate (36.69 percent) in the NFL. Minnesota finished last season 29th in rushing yards per game (91.4), 24th in yards per carry (4.0) and last in rushing yards percentage (26.27 percent). It’s the reason why the team signed Aaron Jones.

Related: NFL power rankings, see where the Minnesota Vikings land

What a difference a Pro Bowl running back makes. Entering NFL games today, the Vikings are 17th in rushing yards per game (115.4), 19th in rushing yards percentage (35.71 percent) and O’Connell is now running the football 48.14 percent of the time. It’s a credit to Jones.

• Ty Chandler’s touches that didn’t gain a yard: 8 times on 48 touches

Of his 88 touches this season, just 11 went for 0 or negative yards and one of those was a reception. Breaking it down even further, just 7-of-71 carries have been for a loss of yards. Jones also boasts the fourth-highest yards after contact per attempt (3.55), according to Pro Football Focus among running backs with 50-plus carries and is 12th in Elusive Rating (68.6). It’s why Jones’s health is one of the most critical factors to Minnesota’s success moving forward.

Related: Minnesota Vikings promote RB to active roster, cut ties with TE

33.1 – Sam Darnold’s QB rating differential when pressured vs clean pocket

Even coming off his worst performance of the season, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is still neck-and-neck with Jayden Daniels in NFL MVP odds. Through five games, he has the second-most passing touchdowns (11) in the NFL, with a QB rating (103.4) that puts him ahead of Josh Allen, Brock Purdy and C.J. Stroud.

One key to his success this season has been Minnesota’s ability to maintain a clean pocket, but that isn’t always a given with this Vikings offensive line. When Ed Ingram is your right guard, clean pockets can be hard to come by.

Related: Minnesota Vikings future draft picks

Among NFL teams that have played five-plus games, the Vikings offensive line has allowed the 10th-most pressures (50) and this unit currently ranks 21st in PFF’s Pass Blocking Efficiency. This is especially critical because of how Darnold is performing this season from a clean pocket versus when pressured.

Also Read: Week 6 fantasy rankings

When the pocket is kept clean, Darnold has the third-highest QB rating (113.0) and touchdown passes (seven) with the second-highest yards per attempt (9.5) and Big-Time Throw rate (5.7 percent) among quarterbacks with three-plus starts. However, his QB rating falls to 79.9 (12th) with a 4.7 yards per attempt average (23rd) and a 2.5% Big-Time Throw rate (22nd) when pressured.

The Vikings have kept the pocket relatively clean, but second-half issues for this offense can be traced back to the issues at center and right guard. Favorable game scripts have also likely protected Darnold more, preventing opponents from ‘pinning their ears back’ and being even more aggressive. There is a clear issue, though, which could prove costly down the line. It also highlights how things can get better if the problem area is addressed.

10.7% – Minnesota Vikings’ pressure rate improvement from 2023 to 2024

One of the biggest year-to-year improvements in the NFL this season is the Vikings defense. Minnesota finished with a bottom-five defense in 2022 then Brian Flores took over as defensive coordinator and helped this unit make a big step. One year later, the Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Also Read: Minnesota Twins are for Sale

As Bill Belichick has said many times, pressures are more important than sacks. Getting an offense out of rhythm or forcing a quarterback either off his spot or to make a throw under duress makes a huge difference.

It’s part of the reason why this Vikings defense has lowered its completion rate by nearly 10 percent, inducing a 25-point drop in average QB rating allowed a 10% improvement in third-down conversion rate allowed to opponents. Pressure is king in the NFL and thanks to Flores’ play-calling and this overhauled pass rush, the Vikings defense has dramatically improved.

My name is Sankesh (call me Sanka) and I live in the UK. A long time ago, a hat decided that I shall be a Vikings fan and here I am 10 years later still bleeding purple. The time difference gives me a sleep deprived perspective of our favourite team. I am always overly optimistic about how good our team is…

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Here we are, a bye week! We have feasted on 11 weeks of Vikings football with a lot of ups and downs, tears and smiles, cursing and well, more cursing. And now we are left with a void whilst most of the other fan bases are watching their team in week 12. So how do we fill this hole? Well, I have some suggestions:

1. Talk to your partner

Okay, I can hear the groans. I get it! You have had an excuse for 11 weeks on a Sunday afternoon/evening to avoid “talking”. You have managed to survive by either replying with a grunt or just pointing at the screen indicating you are watching the game. But we have crucial stretch coming up before the playoffs so you need to jump on this grenade. Take the hit, put the phone away and listen to your partner. Listen about that bitch, Karen at work, debate why The Notebook is a classic and ask how their family is doing. Get it out of the way and buy yourself another potential 11 weeks of peace

2. Spend time with the kids

Some of you are out there saying “my kids watch football with me”. Well thanks for the humble brag – we don’t give a shit about you guys. Some of us have kids that still need their asses wiped. To those fellow sufferers, think of this one as an investment. Spend this bye week with them. Wipe that ass. Build the Lego castle. Have a that tea party. Paint those nails. Take them to birthday parties. And one day, when they are old enough to understand double coverage, they will sit with you and cheer the Purple too!

3. DIY

Every person out there has a list of jobs that needs completing. The efficient ones amongst us would have already knocked out the majority of these before the season started and the weather was warmer. For the rest of us, this is the weekend to dust off that list and crack on. That TV has been sitting on the old coffee table for too long. Put the wall mount up, mount that bad boy, bring the coffee table next to the couch and you got yourself a beer holder and a foot rest for week 13.

4. Organise a meet up with non-football friends

“Do you watch football?”

“I just watch the Super Bowl”.

For fuck sakes… Unfortunately, we all have them. But you need to keep them around because they are either related to you or have the same blood type. And you never know when you might need a kidney

Drop them a “’Sup?” this weekend, go the bar or the mall and get keep them sweet for another 11 weeks. Maybe buy them a Caribou?

5. Get the dog neutered

So picture this; Dalvin is slicing up the defence, Kirk is throwing bombs and Danielle is killing QBs. And then you feel your dog humping your leg. “I get it Bruno, you need some action. But I don’t want any other dogs around here.” So take the poor dude to the vets and kill his manhood. Not because you hate the guy, but so you can watch the Vikings without having dog semen on your leg. It is for the greater good…

6. Go Shopping for a TV

If I am having to explain this you are doing it wrong. Just go out and get that 65 inch beast for that DIY project you just fished from #3. You deserve it!

Sanka | Minnesota Sports Fan

Happy bye week SKOL nation!

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