The Minnesota Vikings have named their starting quarterback for Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has named JJ McCarthy as their starting quarterback for their Week 18 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
McCarthy had been dealing with a hand injury, but will make his return against Green Bay. The 22-year-old missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus. That makes this a de facto rookie season for him.
He has started nine games, leading the Vikings to a 5-4 record. In those games, he has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 1,450 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. McCarthy has also rushed for 174 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries.
He has shown flashes of being a solid quarterback throughout the season, but has been inconsistent and has struggled to avoid turnovers.
McCarthy will take on a quarterback with even less experience as a starter, as Clayton Tune will get the start for the Packers.
Tune only has one career start, which came with the Arizona Cardinals in his rookie season against the Cleveland Browns. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, and a lost fumble.
Tune's experience with Green Bay is even less, but he filled in for the injured Malik Willis at the end of the game in Week 17. He completed one of four passes for eight yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception.
The Packers are resting starting quarterback Jordan Love for the playoffs despite clearing concussion protocol. They are also not playing Willis, who is dealing with hamstring and shoulder injuries.
Green Bay has suffered a ton of injuries in recent weeks and is resting some key players to get ready for the postseason.
The Packers have already clinched their spot in the playoffs and are locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC.
However, Green Bay has lost its last three games, and it will be a difficult challenge to beat the Vikings with Tune starting at quarterback.
If the Packers are able to pull off the upset win over McCarthy and the Vikings, it could give them some momentum heading into the playoffs.