The Minnesota Vikings probably aren’t going to the playoffs in 2024. If their -300 odds at BetMGM to miss the playoffs didn’t tell you that, the gaping hole at quarterback did.

Nevertheless, they had a glimmer of optimism this season thanks to No. 10 overall pick JJ McCarthy. Sooner or later, fans figured to see the potential new face of the franchise take over under center.

Either McCarthy was going to beat out Sam Darnold and others for the starting job in training camp or he was going to take over down the stretch of the season when the Vikings had nothing left to play for.

OR — if you’ll allow me toss another hypothetical your way — the rest of the team would play so well around a middling Darnold that Minny would stay afloat and leave Kevin O’Connell no choice but to insert McCarthy for a potential playoff push.

I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Those hopes were dashed Tuesday when the Vikings announced McCarthy will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The injury won't change the outlook for Justin Jefferson's season, but it does ruin some decent bets on McCarthy -- his under 17.5 passing touchdowns received the most money of any season-long player prop at Fanatics. It also extinguishes even the faintest hopes of a surprise playoff appearance, which did exist. At BetMGM, 82% of tickets and 81% of the handle on Vikings playoff odds picked them to make it.

That doesn’t mean Darnold can’t still lead Minnesota to the playoffs himself. But knowing the low probability of such a thing happening for a player whose career hasn't taken him there yet, it must have been nice for Vikings bettors to have a backup option with some upside in the event Darnold stinks or gets injured.

Instead, the backup plan will become Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall, and that’s not nearly as exciting. I wouldn’t have been in a rush to bet Vikings playoff odds before, but I’m definitely not touching them now.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury makes Vikings playoff odds less enticing than they already were