J.J. McCarthy injury update has Vikings fans in panic mode: "What the f**k"

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy had an impressive pre-season debut this past weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders and looked like a future franchise quarterback. He completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL action as the Vikings beat the Raiders.

Following Saturday's game, McCarthy reported knee soreness to officials on Monday, which held him out of team practice on Monday. ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter followed up with some unfortunate news this morning, saying McCarthy will be having surgery on the knee.

Schefter tweeted:

"ESPN Sources: Vikings rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy is expected to undergo knee surgery that will determine how much time he will be sidelined. McCarthy complained about knee soreness over the weekend, and underwent an MRI on Monday night."

Shortly after, Schefter tweeted that the injury suffered is now being called a torn meniscus. The timeframe for a meniscus tear is usually around 4-8 weeks, depending on the severity of the tear.

Either way, this isn't any good news at all for Vikings fans. Many fans were hoping J.J. McCarthy would start for the team in Week 1. It seems unlikely that will be the case.

Here's how fans reacted to McCarthy's injury update:

"Fu** man this sucks. Better to be safe than to play through pain and make it worse tho," one fan tweeted.

"Was excited to see him in a meaningful game. Hopefully he isn’t out for the year," one fan said.

"Never want to see injuries, especially to rookies. Hope it’s a quick recovery," one fan said.

With J.J. McCarthy likely out for the start of the regular season, veteran Sam Darnold is expected to start for them heading into the season. While no starter was appointed before McCarthy's injury, some fans were rolling with Darnold to start the season.

Here's how other fans reacted:

"Wooof. It looks like Sam Darnold will in fact be a longer-term solution at QB than many had hoped. Hate to see it from a developmental standpoint for the rookie QB," one person said.

"It’s the Vikings luck fr Sam the man it’s in your hands," one fan wrote.

"Sam Darnold SZN," one person said.

Sam Darnold is expected to start the season for the Minnesota Vikings with J.J. McCarthy out

NFL: AUG 10 Preseason Raiders at Vikings - Source: Getty

With J.J. McCarthy slated to have knee surgery to fix his torn meniscus, veteran Sam Darnold is now expected to be the team's starting quarterback heading into the season.

The Vikings open up the season facing the New York Giants on the road on Sept. 8.

Darnold served as Brock Purdy's backup last season in his lone campaign in San Francisco. He started in the team's season finale and completed 16-of-26 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a touchdown.

The 2018 first-round pick has started 56 career games and has gone 21-35 in those games while throwing for 12,064 yards, 63 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions.