EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy has a hairline fracture in his throwing hand that will keep him out of Minnesota's upcoming game against Detroit, making Max Brosmer the starting quarterback this week.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said after practice on Tuesday that further examination of McCarthy's right hand revealed the small fracture, after initial X-rays at the stadium on Sunday were negative. Surgery is not necessary, and the recovery is similar to that of a bone bruise, O'Connell said.
McCarthy was hurt in the second quarter against the New York Giants, forcing the Vikings to turn to Brosmer. O'Connell wasn't sure exactly when the injury occurred, but after losing a fumble on a sack just before halftime when he was supposed to throw a safe screen pass, McCarthy reported pain upon his return to the sideline and told O'Connell he couldn't grip the ball.
With the Vikings hosting the Lions on Thursday as part of the NFL's holiday tripleheader on Christmas, there was too little time for McCarthy to recover. O'Connell said the QB's ability to play in the season finale against Green Bay on Jan. 3 or 4 would depend on his grip.
“It’s just a bummer,” O’Connell said. “The most fun part of this, and the most real part of it, is coaching the young player on his journey where we’ve really started to see some things click for him.”
McCarthy has played in just 8½ of a possible 33 games since he was drafted 10th overall in 2024, with a torn meniscus in his right knee keeping him out his entire rookie season, a badly sprained right ankle costing him five games this season and a concussion sidelining him for another.
“Most of the times he’s ended up missing time, he’s either stayed in the game or we find out the next day just because he’s such a competitor and always wants to stay in the game, which I value so tremendously at that position,” O’Connell said. “It was obviously very unfortunate because even though he didn’t know it at the time, he was unable to do his job, which obviously would’ve altered my thinking in the moment.”
Brosmer started when McCarthy was out with the concussion on Nov. 30. The Vikings lost 26-0 at NFC-leading Seattle after the undrafted rookie threw four interceptions.
The Vikings claimed Brett Rypien off waivers from Indianapolis, bringing back their emergency third quarterback from last season. They also have John Wolford backing up Brosmer.
Center Ryan Kelly (concussion) will not play on Thursday. Neither tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder) nor running back Jordan Mason (ankle) has practiced this week, and the Vikings activated running back Ty Chandler (knee) from injured reserve after he was hurt in the season opener.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) passes under pressure from New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin (27) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer (12) passes against the New York Giants during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian fired drones towards Saudi Arabia and Kuwait early Tuesday as the war in the Middle East shows no sign of abating.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said it has destroyed two drones over the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern region, while in Kuwait, the National Guard said it shot down six drones attacking the county’s northern and southern areas.
Iran's latest attacks on neighboring Gulf States come as U.S. President Donald Trump sends contradictory signals about how long the war could last, fueling uncertainty that’s causing markets to swing.
The president on Monday told Republican lawmakers that the war was likely to be a “short excursion,” but hours later posted on social media that “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”
In an apparent response to Trump’s remarks published in Iranian state media, a spokesperson for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Ali Mohammad Naini, said “Iran will determine when the war ends.”
Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to the office of the supreme leader, told CNN on Monday that Iran is prepared for a long war. He said he sees no “room for diplomacy anymore” unless economic pressure prompts other countries to intervene and stop the “aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran.”
The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the war with Iran may not last that long. Oil prices whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, the highest since 2022, back toward $90.
But prices later fell and U.S. stocks rose on hopes that the war with Iran may not last much longer.
The war has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the U.S. The fighting has also led foreigners to flee from business hubs and prompted millions to seek shelter as bombs hit military bases, government buildings, oil and water installations, hotels and at least one school.
Iran’s attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have all but stopped tankers from using the shipping lane through which a fifth of the world’s oil is carried, and Iranian drones and missiles have targeted oil and gas infrastructure in major producers. Attacks on merchant ships near the strait have killed at least seven mariners, according to the International Maritime Organization.
Several U.S. diplomatic missions have ordered all but key staff to leave.
The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.
A total of seven U.S. service members have been killed.
Magdy reported from Cairo, and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists around the world also contributed to this report.
Mourners pray during the funeral of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The coffin of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, is carried for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
This image taken from video provided by Iran state TV shows Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's slain supreme leader, who has been named as the Islamic Republic's next ruler, authorities announced Monday, March 9, 2026. (Iran state TV via AP)
People gather in a rally to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
