As we get closer to Sunday’s regular season finale at U.S. Bank Stadium, it appears that the quarterback situations for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers have gotten significantly clearer.
For the Vikings, it would seem that J.J. McCarthy is back on track to start for the Vikings on Sunday afternoon, as he was a full participant in Thursday’s second practice of the week after being limited on Wednesday. McCarthy suffered a hairline fracture in his throwing hand in the Vikings’ Week
16 win over the New York Giants and did not play in Week 17 when the Vikings beat Detroit. The team has been waiting to see how he progressed this week, and the fact that he has fully participated in Thursday’s session would seem to be a positive indicator for his status for Sunday.
For Green Bay, the Packers have announced that Clayton Tune will get the start at quarterback for the regular season finale. Jordan Love has cleared the league’s concussion protocol after missing the Packers’ Week 17 loss to Baltimore, and backup Malik Willis is dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered in that same game. The backup for the Packers could very well end up being Desmond Ridder, who the Vikings have signed to their practice squad on two separate occasions this season.
For Tune, it will be his second NFL start. His first came in 2023 when he was a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals. In that game, he completed 11-of-20 passes for 58 yards, no touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions as the Cardinals lost to the Cleveland Browns, 27-0. He was also sacked seven times in that contest.
We’ll know for sure about the Vikings’ quarterback situation tomorrow, but all of the indications today would seem to indicate we’ll be seeing J.J. McCarthy on one side and Clayton Tune on the other when the Vikings and the Packers take the field at noon on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
