First off, let’s acknowledge the obvious: The headline is a leap ahead from what we know now to what might happen Sunday.
When Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell revealed to reporters Monday that J.J. McCarthy is in the concussion protocol after experiencing symptoms after the Packers game, he did not declare McCarthy was out for the Seattle game.
“I think it’s probably too early to tell that as far as the quarterback not really taking contact in practice and the different phases of the protocol,” O’Connell said.
But logic dictates McCarthy won’t play. The Vikings are heavily invested in their 2024 first-round pick and will want to protect him from further head injury. He has struggled mightily this year, which means he needs all the practice time he can get (which would seemingly be compromised this week).
Brosmer will take first-team snaps in practice while McCarthy is sidelined. He’s been a snap away from playing for several weeks. All signs point to him getting his first career start and first meaningful NFL action.
It seems unlikely that the rookie Brosmer would have success against Seattle, which has one of the NFL’s top defenses. The Vikings’ shortcomings are numerous already, as talked about on Tuesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
But let’s let our imaginations run a little here and ask this question at the start of today’s 10 things to know: What if Brosmer does play well Sunday?
- On one hand, success is relative. Anything might seem like an improvement over McCarthy, who ranks ahead of only draft bust JaMarcus Russell among 852 qualified QBs in the past 25 years in the valuable statistic EPA (expected points added) per dropback. But we’re looking for actually good, not just functionally better than what we have been seeing lately.
- If Brosmer produces a genuinely good game, we will all probably overreact to a small sample size. It’s human nature. Vikings fans are so desperate for some good news that they will want to build a Brosmer statue (sort of like how they wanted to do that for McCarthy after his comeback win over the Bears in his first start).
- But it probably would provide a small piece of validation for the idea that live reps matter. One thing I really like about Brosmer is that he threw the ball a lot in college. Between New Hampshire and one year with the Gophers, Brosmer had more than twice as many pass attempts (1,628 vs. 713) than McCarthy. He has seen more coverages. He’s felt more rushes. He’s gone through more progressions quickly.
- If Brosmer has a good game, Gophers fans will lose their minds. Outside of Spergon Wynn (who threw one career pass for the Gophers before transferring) and Mike Hohensee (who started two games as a replacement player during the 1987 strike), it is believed no other former Gopher has started an NFL game at QB.
- It would give the Vikings a dilemma going forward if Brosmer plays well. It would hardly be a final verdict. McCarthy is their primary investment. They believed enough in his trajectory to make him the starter on a team with Super Bowl hopes. They kept Brosmer on the bench when Carson Wentz’s arm was hanging by a thread. But it does seem like Brosmer’s best traits (quick processing, playing with anticipation, good on intermediate throws) align with what O’Connell likes in a quarterback.
- I had Brosmer on an episode of Daily Delivery almost exactly a year ago when he was with the Gophers. It’s worth rewatching now for some insights into his personality and playing style.
- Minnesota United’s season is over after a tough 1-0 loss to San Diego in the Western Conference semifinals on Monday night. Jon Marthaler has all your coverage.
- The Wolves blew another lead, this time to the woeful Kings, in an overtime loss on Monday. They’re 10-7 but somehow it feels worse.
- Chris Hine will join me on Wednesday’s show to talk more about the Wolves ahead of a big game against Oklahoma City.
- Randy Johnson will also join me to talk Gophers football ahead of their regular-season finale against Wisconsin.
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