Analysts Claim Vikings Are Hiding JJ McCarthy’s Injury to Protect Him: “Could He Be Ruled Out on Monday?”
In a stunning revelation, analysts are suggesting that the Minnesota Vikings are concealing the severity of JJ McCarthy’s injury in order to protect their star quarterback from further scrutiny. As rumors swirl about McCarthy’s status for the upcoming game, the Vikings have yet to provide a clear update on his condition, fueling speculation that the team may be preparing to rule him out on Monday.
“It’s clear they’re not being fully transparent about the injury,” one analyst stated. “The Vikings are trying to shield McCarthy from additional pressure, but the truth is starting to come out. With the way things are trending, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they officially rule him out for the next game.”
McCarthy, who has been dealing with a nagging injury, has played through the discomfort, but concerns are growing about his ability to perform at a high level. The Vikings’ reluctance to address the situation head-on has only fueled the growing suspicion that McCarthy’s injury is more serious than the team is letting on.
Despite the lack of confirmation, insiders believe the Vikings are being cautious with McCarthy to avoid putting him in a position where further injury could jeopardize his future.
“It’s all about protecting the player long-term,” said another NFL source. “McCarthy’s health should be the priority, and it’s likely that the Vikings are keeping him out to prevent any more damage.”
As the clock ticks down toward Monday’s decision, Vikings fans and the NFL world at large are left wondering: will McCarthy be cleared to play, or will the team make the difficult choice to hold him out for the sake of his future?
Steelers' Rookie Kaleb Johnson Faces Backlash Over Game-Changing Fumble, Darius Slay Comes to His Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers have conceded 30+ points in each of their first two games of the 2025 season, but the loss to the Seattle Seahawks wasn’t solely on the defense.
The Steelers’ defense has come under scrutiny from analysts across the league, more so when their offensive failures began to take center stage.
Arthur Smith‘s offense struggled to get any run game going, placing a lot of the burden on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers when looking to utilize the play-action pass.
The Seattle Seahawks utilized their run game through Kenneth Walker III much more efficiently, with the Steelers carved apart at times, including on a crucial 19-yard touchdown to ice the game.
One of the more pivotal moments of the loss was rookie running back Kaleb Johnson’s crucial mistake on kickoff return, part of a 17-point swing in favor of the Seahawks. Darius Slay revealed what he said to the rookie after the error.
Darius Slay told Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kaleb Johnson to ‘not let that play define’ him
After a massive offseason of investment from the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the addition of Darius Slay, they were not expected to concede 63 points in two games.
Kaleb Johnson’s crucial fumble on the kickoff return made a 10-point swing into a 17-point swing almost instantaneously. Darius Slay only had words of encouragement for the youngster, as he explained:
Speaking on the Richard Sherman podcast, Slay said, “That’s a young kid. You know, of course, we’re going to hold him accountable. You know what I’m saying?
“But, hey, we all make mistakes. We’ve never been perfect. None of us has been. I made plenty of mistakes as a rookie when I was young. He made one.
“I talked to him, because he’s my little young guy. Don’t let that play define who you are. You know what I’m saying? Because of a play like that, in this type of city, definitely with this type of environment.
“This type of standard this team has, this organization has, that can ruin a kid’s career. You know, just because they can always remember to play it back.
“‘You’re a young kid, very talented. So hopefully he put that behind him. And I told him that. The team told him, ‘Talk less.’ Don’t talk about it anymore. Don’t even bring it up anymore.
“They ask about it, just, hey, I’m on to bigger and better things, man. I’m going to try to do better, you know, be ready, prepared for my teammates.
“So he’s doing good. But I told him, man, keep your head on your shoulders because it’s tough. That was tough to see, tough to be a part of.”
What’s next for Kaleb Johnson at the Pittsburgh Steelers after that fumble
A mistake like the one Kaleb Johnson made can have strong consequences in the NFL, depending on the head coach, regardless of his being a rookie.
Luckily for Johnson, he is playing under the longest-serving head coach in the league, Mike Tomlin, and he is not known for being unforgiving.
Tomlin is not like the great
Unfortunately for Johnson (the rookie), he is playing in an offense that has a total of 125 rushing yards over two games. He has accounted for -1 of those yards.
The Steelers have a lot more problems than initially anticipated entering the season, and developing a rookie running back is not their number one priority.
