Vikings' J.J. McCarthy Is the Biggest Winner of Bears' Injury Concerns

When the Minnesota Vikings kick off the season, all eyes will be on first year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy hasn’t played in an official game in the NFL, but all of the intrigue surrounding him makes it feel like he’s been a staple of morning talk shows.

National pundits were floored that the Vikings chose him over Aaron Rodgers. Others thought he sounded nervous during press conferences. Even more critics have clutched old scouting reports, and some have even called him “a rookie” even as he enters his second season.

It all leads to Monday night, where many will use that game as a litmus test in a season the Vikings hope results in a 17-game march to the Super Bowl. But with all of the pressure, McCarthy could use an extra hand and may be getting one as Bears top corner Jaylon Johnson continues to recover from calf and groin injuries.

Jaylon Johnson’s Injuries Could Give J.J. McCarthy an Advantage in Vikings Opener

Johnson has had a turbulent offseason as he injured his groin during an offseason workout. While the injury kept him out for all of training camp, he was expected to be available for the season opener until he suffered a calf injury this week in practice. While Johnson has logged limited practices in each of the past two days, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin’s report cast some doubt on Johnson’s status.

“[For what it’s worth,] Jaylon Johnson was towards the back of the line as DBs went through individual drills during the portion open to the media,” Cronin wrote in a post on X. “Likely signals him still in ramp-up phase/not having his conditioning where he needs it to be. Johnson said he needs to make it through a week of practice with pads on to see how his body responds before knowing whether he can play vs. Minnesota. With another injury added this week…it feels like that’ll be a steep climb.”

Unless Johnson magically gets to 100% during Saturday’s practice, the Vikings will be facing a wounded cornerback if he sees the field. It’s also possible that Johnson may not play at all, giving McCarthy a huge advantage on Monday night.

McCarthy has a lot going on, but he also has some of the top weapons in the NFL. Justin Jefferson has 50 catches for 685 yards and three touchdowns in eight career meetings with Chicago, and those numbers would be higher if the Bears didn’t use persistent double teams to hold him to two catches for 27 yards in a 30-27 overtime win last November.

Johnson’s potential absence would also make life easier for Adam Thielen. The Vikings acquired Thielen in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in part due to his knowledge of Kevin O’Connell’s offense. But he’s only been practicing for just over one week and could have some difficulty picking up any differences two years outside of his time in Minnesota.

With weakened matchups on the outside, McCarthy can also feast in the middle of the field with linebacker T.J. Edwards missing his second straight day of practice due to a hamstring injury on Friday. Missing one of the top linebackers would greatly help T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, giving McCarthy another area he could dump the ball.

This probably doesn’t mean that O’Connell will allow McCarthy to let it rip on Monday night. But it makes things easier for a player who’s in his first meaningful game since the 2024 College Football Playoff Championship Game. It will have the Vikings keeping a close eye on what happens in Chicago’s practice tomorrow and hoping that Johnson will need one more week to get ready to return to the field.

More Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors: