When the Minnesota Vikings host the New England Patriots in their second preseason game on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, their starting quarterback will be sitting things out.
Kevin O’Connell announced on Thursday that J.J. McCarthy will not play on Saturday against the Patriots. Sam Howell will get the start at quarterback.
McCarthy played just one series in the preseason opener against Houston last Saturday, and went 4-for-7 for 30 yards and had an 8-yard run that converted on fourth down. That was, apparently, enough for O’Connell, as he’s declared McCarthy will sit on Saturday. He almost certainly won’t play in the preseason finale next Friday against Tennessee, either.
Howell took over for McCarthy against Houston and, after having a rough start of things in camp according to reports, put together a pretty solid performance. He went 11-for-13 for 105 yards and had a 1-yard rushing touchdown. That touchdown capped an impressive 14-play, 96-yard drive that put the Vikings ahead late in the second quarter. It’s amazing how much better a quarterback can look when he doesn’t have to face Brian Flores’ defense every week.
While Howell is, seemingly, locked in as the #2 quarterback on the Vikings’ depth chart, the bigger battle might be for the #3 spot between journeyman Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer. Against Houston, Rypien completed just 1-of-4 passes for six yards, while Brosmer took over in the fourth quarter and looked pretty impressive, completing 5-of-8 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
The #3 spot on the depth chart at quarterback might be determined by who the Vikings think they can more easily get to the practice squad. If Brosmer continues to impress, the Vikings might decide that they can more easily get Rypien through waivers to the practice squad and keep Brosmer around as the #3 quarterback on the main roster.
But, there are still two more preseason games before that determination is made, and both Rypien and Brosmer will get more opportunities to impress, as J.J. McCarthy won’t be taking up any snaps on offense.
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