Vikings to start QB McCarthy in season finale

EAGAN, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will start the team's final game of the season Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, coach Kevin O'Connell said Friday, after he recovered sufficiently from a hairline fracture in his right hand.

McCarthy missed the Vikings' Christmas Day game against the Detroit Lions, but he performed well in a throwing session Tuesday with medical officials and then participated in most of Wednesday's practice. He was a full participant both Thursday and Friday and will give the Vikings one last look at him before they enter the offseason.

"He threw the ball well," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "So we're excited to see him play Sunday. It's going to be his 10th start. He has gained some experience and gets an opportunity to lead the team on Sunday, which is important."

McCarthy has missed seven games in his first season as the Vikings starter because of three injuries -- a high right ankle sprain, a concussion and the fractured hand. After one of the worst six-game starts to a career for an NFL quarterback in the past decade, McCarthy has performed better in his previous three. His 69.8 QBR during that period ranked No. 9 in the NFL.

But just before halftime in Week 16 against the New York Giants, McCarthy dropped the ball as he attempted to throw a screen pass. The Giants' Tyler Nubin recovered the ball and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. When he reached the sideline, McCarthy told the team's medical staff that he couldn't grip the ball.

The Vikings removed him from the game, which they won 16-13, and further testing revealed what O'Connell called a "very, very small" hairline fracture. McCarthy wasn't able to pinpoint when the injury occurred, saying earlier this week that it "was just a multitude of things" that occurred over the course of the season.

McCarthy had previously suffered what the Vikings called a bruised hand in Week 10. The injury caused him to be a limited participant in one practice but did not force him from any games.

A review of the game film showed that McCarthy hit his hand on the helmet of Giants defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris after a throw with 2 minutes, 57 seconds remaining in the second quarter. McCarthy managed to throw a short completion on the next play, and then he scrambled 12 yards for a touchdown after that.

He opened the Vikings' next possession by handing off to tailback Aaron Jones, but on second down he dropped the ball as he tried to throw the screen pass.

McCarthy said "there was a lot of adrenaline" before this touchdown run but that he felt the hand "right away when I went to the sideline." He called the entire process "a great learning lesson for me to handle that situation a lot better in the future." Rookie Max Brosmer started the Vikings' 23-10 victory over the Lions.