McCarthy's injury gives Brosmer a second chance
The Vikings backup will face off with Detroit on Thursday
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — There is a phrase in the NFL that covers what Max Brosmer went through in his first start against the Seattle Seahawks: “Everybody gets got.” Meaning, if you haven’t been rag dolled by a guy like DeMarcus Lawrence or made a massive mistake in a game, then you haven’t actually played.
The key for Brosmer is not to let his four-interception performance in Seattle linger over him as he moves forward.
“You [can’t] let something define your career like that with one game in a tough start and a really tough situation,” Brosmer said on Tuesday.
This Thursday against the Detroit Lions at US Bank Stadium, Brosmer will get another opportunity to offer a different definition of his career because starting QB JJ McCarthy will miss the contest with a hairline fracture in his hand.
The former Gopher quarterback said it was easier said than done when it came to putting the Seahawks game in the past but he didn’t show any signs of it lingering last week when he entered the game at halftime and leading a game-winning drive against the New York Giants.
“Everything was very sequenced up and timed up with his feet, and he had some really nice plays from a standpoint of progressions, finding completions here or there,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “And then, that massive third-down throw to Justin [Jefferson], great anticipation, great location, giving Justin a chance to go get it. It was a really cool thing to see.”
The throw that O’Connell is talking about was a third-and-17 conversion that got the Vikings rolling en route to a go-ahead field goal that proved to be the difference. Jefferson said on Tuesday that the two players had never gotten a chance to practice that before, yet Brosmer put the ball in the perfect spot for him.
“Trust, he trusted it,” Jefferson said. “I would say, not really getting those reps in practice, not really seeing me run that route and being able to put it to a spot and just allow me to go make that play. So it’s just him understanding where I’m going to be at and him throwing that rock. So it’s just more on him putting it to a spot and just letting me make the play.”
Brosmer’s opponent for his second start is quite a bit different than in his first start against top-ranked Seattle. The Lions have been struggling lately with injuries in their secondary and have allowed over 400 yards in four of their last five games and 500+ yards twice. They are 25th in passing yards allowed per game and have given up the fourth most touchdowns.
The challenge for the undrafted rookie is that the Vikings play with almost no practice time between games with this week’s contest falling on Christmas. Not exactly how you’d draw it up for an inexperienced starter.
“The good news is he had a preparation week before he played against Seattle, learned a lot in that opportunity,” O’Connell said.
Of course, preparation has never been a concern when it comes to Brosmer, who impressed the Vikings to the point of making the team because of how well he picked up O’Connell’s offense.
The real test is whether Brosmer can grow from his mistake-riddled first start and begin a new definition of him as a QB.
“The more you focus on the negative, like, ‘ah, I could have done this better, I could have this better,’ you have to remember to still focus on the positives while also building on what you could have done better,” Brosmer said.
ANALYSIS:
Vikings fans are well within their rights to roll their eyes at Brosmer starting again but the way he came off the bench against New York was much more along the lines of what the team expected after seeing him in camp/preseason and behind the scenes this year.
The “Purple Purdy” thing might not exactly be on the table in these last two games (if he plays vs. Green Bay, too) but a spot on the 2026 roster can certainly be solidified along with an opportunity to stick around for a long time. Brosmer has all the things every team wants in their backup QB, he just has to play on time within the offense and he will have an opportunity to have a good day versus a floundering defense.
MCCARTHY’S INJURY
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