With the Minnesota Vikings preparing for a Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the latest development shows that starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy couldn’t participate in Thursday’s practice session. After McCarthy led the Vikings in an epic win over the Chicago Bears in Week 1, he missed practice on Thursday for a good reason as he awaits the birth of his newborn son.
Reported by Alec Lewis of The Athletic, McCarthy missed practice as he is in a local hospital with his fiancée, awaiting the birth of “their new baby boy.” Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell was reportedly “pumped to share the news.”
“J.J. McCarthy is not at practice today,” Lewis wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s at a local hospital with his fiancée as they await positive news in welcoming their new baby boy. Kevin O’Connell was pumped to share the news.”
Comparatively, it has been a fortunate past week for McCarthy, as looking at his performance on the field, he led the team to a comeback from a major deficit and beat their NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears, on Monday night, 27-24. McCarthy would say on Wednesday that his mindset changes when he’s on the field, showcasing his competitiveness.
“It’s kind of how I roll,” McCarthy said, via Sports Illustrated. “It is real when I’m ready to go to war on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays and Wednesdays, it’s really just a flip that’s switched, and the rest can take care of itself from there.”
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy on leading a comeback in Week 1
© Matt Marton-Imagn Images
With some saying that the Vikings quarterback in McCarthy deserves Comeback Player of the Year after coming off an injury, it was no doubt a big performance in Week 1. Subsequently, starting slow, McCarthy was tasked to come back from a 17-6 deficit, which he would do, leading the team to score 21 points in the fourth quarter.
“Big takeaway is just all the little fundamental things that we kind of lean on are something that isn’t 100% there, just being able to go back onto the practice field and keep making those concrete habits,” McCarthy said.
“I feel like the way we adapted as an offense throughout the game when it wasn’t going our way in those first three quarters, and being able to experience that and know what we have is something that was huge to take away from,” McCarthy continued.
Consequently, McCarthy and Minnesota take on Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
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