So......

[StickierBuns]

Not a bad debut for McCarthy, huh? Long way to go yet, no doubt. He'll be a rookie sometimes of course. But a lot of firsts for a rookie QB got accomplished here, won't be as scary moving forward now having a game under your belt at home in the NFL. Threw an icky INT and then 2 beautiful TDs. Tough in the pocket, eyes looking downfield. Converting on 3rd and 4th downs. You can see his speed if he needs to run. Can take a hit. You see how his teammates love him. Throws a beautiful ball.



Minnesota Vikings 24, Las Vegas Raiders 23

Vikings: Look out. The J.J. McCarthy hype meter is about to go into overdrive.

In his professional debut, the Vikings' rookie quarterback threw a pair of long third-quarter touchdown passes -- one of 45 yards to Trishton Jackson in single coverage and another of 33 yards to Trent Sherfield Sr. against a busted coverage. In the public sphere, those scores will surely overshadow the interception he threw to end his first possession as well as a few other shaky passes.

The Vikings approached the game as if veteran Sam Darnold is their likely Week 1 starter, giving him one possession before McCarthy took over. Darnold led the Vikings to the Raiders' 4-yard line before a fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

McCarthy played the next six possessions, completing 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards while also scrambling twice on third down for 18 yards. In addition to the scores, he also had three other downfield completions of 18 yards or more. It remains to be seen whether the performance will change McCarthy's spot on the Vikings' depth chart, but overall it left a strong first impression.

On the other side of the ball, rookie Dallas Turner played into the second quarter and produced two of the kind of pass rushes the Vikings hoped they would see when they traded up to draft the edge rusher No. 17 overall -- including a key sack. -- Kevin Seifert


"Clearly, everybody can see the arm talent," O'Connell told reporters after the game, per SI.com. "I loved seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive." - NFL.com


@ChaseDaniel

The 2 Rookie QB’s who look the most pro-ready thru the first week of preseason games & it’s not really close….

Caleb Williams & JJ McCarthy

[MaroonBells]

I thought he looked fantastic. The movement in the pocket, the accuracy on all throws but the pick, the velocity. Oh my. Yes, very very happy with what I saw. 

Even the pick didn't rattle me. Because it didn't rattle him. As KOC said, he moved on and stayed aggressive. That's a good sign. 

There was only one play that bugged me a little. His 1st run was great, but I think on the 2nd one he should've kept his eyes downfield. I'm not saying JJM is one of those annoying young QBs who run at the first sign of trouble. But that can become a bad habit if you let it, and why he needs more development. 

Still, picking nits. Very impressive debut and a damned exciting preview of the future.

[Montana Tom]

I'm not seeing as much a drop off from Darnold to JJM as I expected. Those dimes JJM tossed on both long TD's were as good as any tosses I recall seeing Kirko toss.
Barring injury to anyone (please no!), I think we're in good hands at QB for the next decade or longer.

[purplefaithful]

Viking nation has every reason to be excited about the potential of this 21 year old kid. What I keep reminding myself of is even at that tender age, he's been through big, big games, searing lights and press etc...So there is experience there, just not NFL experience.

I read a local piece and agree with it; Darnold is the starter and he looked the part. The only question for the Vikings is do they have JJM b4 or after Mullens on the depth chart for 2024?

[purplefaithful]

Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterAug 10, 2024, 09:07 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- J.J. McCarthy's big third quarter Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders had everyone asking the same question: Does this mean he's ready to challenge for the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback job?

The man who will ultimately make that decision doesn't appear to think so ... at least not yet. Coach Kevin O'Connell said, after his team's 24-23 win, that he viewed McCarthy's preseason debut, which included touchdown passes of 45 and 33 yards on the Vikings' first two possessions after halftime, as "just another glorified, singular step in the process."

O'Connell said that the Vikings' pair of joint practices next week with the Cleveland Browns "will be huge" and he is "just looking for [McCarthy] to improve and look comfortable in our system."

O'Connell added: "I think we want to be smart about that development and make sure that his training camp is absolutely going to plan."

To this point, McCarthy has spent all but two snaps in training camp with the Vikings' second team. He watched from the sideline Saturday as veteran Sam Darnold started along with most of the rest of the Vikings' No. 1 offense. He replaced Darnold after one series, working mostly with the Vikings' backup offensive line and receivers, and threw an interception to end his first possession.

But he came out firing in the third quarter, hitting receiver Trishton Jackson on a go route down the left sideline for one touchdown and then Trent Sherfield Sr. on a corner route against a busted coverage for the other. He finished the day with 11 completions in 17 attempts for 188 yards, along with two scrambles that netted 18 yards.

The chance to redeem himself after halftime, McCarthy said, was an opportunity he wanted to capitalize on.

"In this league," he added, "things are going to go bad, and it's your ability to respond and navigate those waters when it does happen. So just being able to have that 'goldfish memory,' go back out there and have that 'sling it' mentality, which is what I needed."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/4081...ikings-win

[MaroonBells]

Viking nation has every reason to be excited about the potential of this 21 year old kid. What I keep reminding myself of is even at that tender age, he's been through big, big games, searing lights and press etc...So there is experience there, just not NFL experience.

I read a local piece and agree with it; Darnold is the starter and he looked the part. The only question for the Vikings is do they have JJM b4 or after Mullens on the depth chart for 2024?

A month ago I would've said Darnold, Mullens, McCarthy all year, but I now think there will come a time at some point this year (and it could even be in the 1st half of the year) where KOC believes JJM has developed to the point where the spotlight won't severely damage him.

[Zanary]

I think that JJM came back from the pick well (pretty damned well, really), but the Raiders weren't leaving their starters in all game long, either. JJM and the backups came back against the Raiders and their backups.

For the record, Minshew should be THEIR QB, going forward...but, anyway:

Darnold looked the part, and did so without his WR1, RB1, and TE1. He showed what he could in 1 series, and looked more than good for the job.

I agree with the post above, though; we should be checking Mullens' trade value.

[purplefaithful]

I think that JJM came back from the pick well (pretty damned well, really), but the Raiders weren't leaving their starters in all game long, either. JJM and the backups came back against the Raiders and their backups.

For the record, Minshew should be THEIR QB, going forward...but, anyway:

Darnold looked the part, and did so without his WR1, RB1, and TE1. He showed what he could in 1 series, and looked more than good for the job.

I agree with the post above, though; we should be checking Mullens' trade value.

Someone else posted this in another thread....

But wouldn't it be nice to have Mullens backing-up JJM in 25???

He has experience and knows the offense - probably better than anyone not name Kirko.

[StickierBuns]

A month ago I would've said Darnold, Mullens, McCarthy all year, but I now think there will come a time at some point this year (and it could even be in the 1st half of the year) where KOC believes JJM has developed to the point where the spotlight won't severely damage him.

Well, well.....look who's coming to the dark side. lol. This kid is different. He'll change narratives. And he'll change KOC's plan, watch and see. He's got the lower half as the platform and that top torso to spin it with torque. Quick release. Wait until he actually learns something! This kid has already been in the pressure cooker. No situation will ever be too big.

Sticky isn't right all the time. But he's right about McCarthy (told in Ricky Henderson 3rd person voice).

---

Viking nation has every reason to be excited about the potential of this 21 year old kid. What I keep reminding myself of is even at that tender age, he's been through big, big games, searing lights and press etc...So there is experience there, just not NFL experience.

I read a local piece and agree with it; Darnold is the starter and he looked the part. The only question for the Vikings is do they have JJM b4 or after Mullens on the depth chart for 2024?

Yes. Already forged in the fire of competition. The brightest lights. The NFL is just another level to learn, manage and be a winner.

[Zanary]

Someone else posted this in another thread....

But wouldn't it be nice to have Mullens backing-up JJM in 25???

He has experience and knows the offense - probably better than anyone not name Kirko.

He does, and he does, but he also has a proclivity for throwing to the wrong team...with terrifying consistency. It's been awhile since I've seen a QB able to nullify his own 400 yard days so well.

I literally was holding my breath every time he let go of the ball after that tendency showed itself...I don't need the health risks!