Jefferson is 53 yards shy of 1,000. Failing to get him there would only deepen the questions surrounding McCarthy’s first season.
J.J. McCarthy will return to the Minnesota Vikings' lineup on Sunday for his 10th start of the season. He hasn't played since the second quarter of the Vikings' Week 16 victory over the New York Giants, when he suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand.
The injury again halted his momentum, coming off the best two-game stretch of his young career, when he scored six touchdowns and recorded only one interception in wins over the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday's matchup with the Green Bay Packers won't affect the postseason. Minnesota has been eliminated since Week 15, and the Packers are locked into the NFC's No. 7 seed.
The injury report reflects the low-stakes affair. Minnesota will be without veterans T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones. They have both been dealing with injuries, but with nothing to play for in the final week of an 8-8 season, there is no reason to risk making those ailments worse.
But McCarthy doesn't have that luxury, as his first season as a starter has been full of ups and downs. On top of the lack of starts, he has only completed 57.3% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and 12 picks for a 71.2 passer rating.
His low production has directly impacted Justin Jefferson, who needs 53 yards on Sunday to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Jefferson, who averaged an NFL-record 96.5 receiving yards per game entering the season, is only mustering 59.2 yards per game this year.
The star receiver has only had two 100-yard games this season, and they both came with Carson Wentz at quarterback. You'd like to think that would change on Sunday because the Packers will be sitting several starters.
This hasn't been a banner season for Jefferson, who has been credited with five drops, per Pro Football Focus.
But because the season has been such an outlier for Jefferson, it's easy to point the finger at McCarthy. Besides, Jefferson caught 477 yards in five games with Wentz, a 95.4-yard average that is in line with his career standard.
The offense has run through Jefferson since Kevin O'Connell was hired in 2022. His not getting the ball isn't by design.
That places more pressure on McCarthy than any other player in Sunday's matchup with the Packers. Sure, the Vikings want to see him perform well and stay healthy. But they want Jefferson to get involved.
"This is our last opportunity," O'Connell said this week. "So we want to try to get [Jefferson] as involved as we can."
Getting Jefferson to 1,000 yards won't prove that McCarthy is the franchise quarterback moving forward. Throwing for 400 yards isn't going to erase questions, either.
But a failure to get Jefferson to 1,000 would feel like a significant strike against McCarthy. That wouldn't mean he can't compete for the starting spot next season, but it would be a considerable blemish that would linger over him throughout the offseason.
Sunday’s game doesn’t offer much upside for Minnesota in the standings. But it does offer clarity. Another quiet afternoon for Jefferson would only reinforce the questions surrounding McCarthy, adding another data point to a growing list of concerns that will follow him into the offseason.