J.J. McCarthy Incident Draws Final Decision From NFL

Thanks in part to McCarthy’s eye-opening performance in his return, the Vikings improved to 4-4 on the season. The win against Detroit was also their first victory in three games.

McCarthy was involved in a couple of contentious moments in Minnesota’s big win. The 22-year-old QB took a hit late in the first half courtesy of Lions linebacker Jack Campbell. Right as McCarthy fired a pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson, Campbell came crashing in to tackle the Vikings quarterback.

The hit was deemed excessive, and Campbell was immediately flagged on the play for roughing the passer. It resulted in a 15-yard penalty in favor of Minnesota.

It’s standard procedure for the NFL Officiating Department to review roughing the passer penalties for a potential fine. According to the rulebook, this type of infraction carries a fine of $17,389 for a first offense and a sanction of $23,186 for a second incident.

The league released its gameday accountability update on Saturday, which contains the list of all the players who were fined in Week 9. The good news for Campbell is that he was not on the list. After reviewing his tackle on McCarthy, the league decided that the incident did not warrant a fine.

This would have been a second offense for Campbell. He was fined $14,871 for a roughing-the-passer infraction in 2023 against the Las Vegas Raiders.   

It is also worth noting that Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson also avoided a fine for an incident involving McCarthy. The Pro Bowl DE was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a leg whip in the second quarter after Hutchinson stuck out his leg in an attempt to bring McCarthy down.  

McCarthy and the Vikings face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for a Week 10 matchup, while the Lions will battle the Washington Commanders.