(9 hours ago)StickierBuns Wrote: Alec Lewis
@alec_lewis
"J.J. McCarthy is ascending. If this were the midway point of the season, the Vikings would probably be the talk of the NFL.
Their playoff chances may be nil, but the growth is undeniable and important"
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6890590...n-cowboys/
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Mike Wobschall
@wobby
·
8h
The swirling narrative and then the reality around J.J. McCarthy aren't aligned.
Reality is his record as Vikings starter is .500. If you didn't know what his actual record was and only gauged the narrative, you'd think he was far below .500.
Reality is he's only started 8 games. If you didn't know how many games he's actually started and only gauged the narrative, you'd think there was plenty of sample size to author an air-tight judgment on him.
Quite a ways to go before his story is written.
VikingzFanPage
@vikingzfanpage
·
11h
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy says he felt like he’s been “thrown into a laundry machine” this season, and “finally opened the door and came out” in last weeks game against Washington, per the broadcast:
IOW, the coaches quit f'ing with mechanics and added a progression approach to the offense for a greenhorn 22 year old.
ARLINGTON, Texas — This was the perfect setup, choreography at its finest. The Vikings walked to the line of scrimmage with two tight ends, a fullback and an extra offensive lineman. Sledgehammering the ball into the mass of men seemed inevitable.
But then, sleight of hand at the goal line. Deceptive enough to deke the cameras, tricky enough to make Cris Collinsworth cackle.
Minnesota’s young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, received the snap from under center and extended his arm the way you would for any normal handoff. Only this time, he shielded the football with his right hand and faked the give to running back Jordan Mason with his left. The Dallas defense bit. McCarthy peeled away from the play and jogged toward the end zone with ease, a sneaky touchdown call that went perfectly.
The Vikings were a long way from finalizing their 34-26 win in prime time against the Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.” McCarthy didn’t mind. He punctuated the play with some unexpected flair, a “Griddy” celebration with the ball swaying in his right hand.
“I did that in practice, and I was told not to do it,” McCarthy said. “So, just me being who I am, it’s like, ‘Oh, now I’m more enticed to do it.’”
Youth, exhibited. The quality is partly what has made this Vikings season so trying. It also makes up so much of McCarthy’s promise.
At 22, he remains one of the youngest players in the NFL, a quarterback who in a measly eight starts has tried to acclimate to a grown man’s league amid a minute-by-minute dissection.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell once likened the young quarterback’s challenge to going from wearing a life vest and learning how to swim to being thrown into the middle of a 200-meter freestyle race against Michael Phelps. For much of 2025, that’s what this has felt like for McCarthy. Sunday night served up another helping of belief in what’s possible with time.
Tallying a career-high 250 yards on 15-of-24 passing speaks to what McCarthy showcased. Layered downfield throws. Timely checkdowns. Situational decision-making. The pre-snap orchestration flowed smoothly. McCarthy also looked more comfortable pushing the ball vertically, even when defensive pressure forced him off of his initial spot in the pocket.
“I think he hopefully learned the lesson tonight of, ‘We can be explosive when we have the opportunity as the game goes on when we just continue to throw completions,’” O’Connell said.
Last week’s growth came from keeping things simple. Stop thinking, just play. The Washington Commanders were an advantageous opponent in that regard. Minnesota thought it would be able to run the football on early downs, lessening the burden McCarthy would have to carry.
Dallas was always going to be different. Defensive linemen Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa presented a tougher test for the Vikings on the ground. The Vikings were only going to be willing to spin their wheels in the run game for so long. This meant more opportunities for McCarthy.
As long as Minnesota’s pass protection held, there was going to be space in the Cowboys secondary. Especially given O’Connell’s understanding of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ tendencies.
Even without left tackle Christian Darrisaw, the Vikings front kept McCarthy clean. McCarthy was only pressured on 22.2 percent of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats, the second-lowest pressure rate he’s faced in a game this season.
“You look at their front seven, and they’re really talented,” Vikings center Ryan Kelly said. “It was just a matter of will.”
Search for an example, and you’ll find one in the 58-yard deep ball to receiver Jordan Addison in the second quarter. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney exploded into right tackle Brian O’Neill’s chest. Backpedaling, O’Neill fended off Clowney enough to provide McCarthy a sliver of space. McCarthy sidestepped to the left and spun a ball 44 yards in the air. It was the longest completion (via air yards) of McCarthy’s young career.
McCarthy’s favorite attempt of the night? He selected a 29-yard strike to tight end T.J. Hockenson in the third quarter. From his alignment in the slot, Hockenson traveled up the seam. McCarthy uncorked the pass with enough sauce to clear Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown at the second level.
“Playing on time, in rhythm, trusting what I see, being decisive, and seeing the ball come out exactly the way I wanted was pretty cool,” McCarthy said.
Unprompted, O’Connell mentioned the same play after the game.
“His job on that play is to do exactly what he did,” O’Connell said. “The discipline to feel his read out and find the exact right place to go, then be surgical with that throw.”
Perhaps the most telling aspect of McCarthy’s performance is the abundance of other completions worth highlighting. In the first quarter, responding to a tipped interception on his first pass of the game, McCarthy booted to the left, reset his feet and unleashed a 20-yard flamethrower to receiver Jalen Nailor. Touchdown. In the third quarter, McCarthy floated a beautiful back-shoulder ball to Nailor. Fourth down converted.
McCarthy applied touch on a crosser to Hockenson in the fourth quarter. He dialed back the pace on a swing to running back Aaron Jones in the first quarter. Arm strength won’t ever be a problem. Throttling the juice appropriately was and will continue to be a focus. Expecting it to be mastered — expecting for anything McCarthy-related to be mastered so early in his professional career, which followed a brief college career — is why the task the Vikings were attempting in 2025 was so difficult.
They envisioned an elite defense, one that could bother a quarterback like Dak Prescott the way it did Sunday night. They also imagined McCarthy making strides with time. Had he not sprained his ankle or missed a game in the concussion protocol, his eighth start would have left him at midseason. It’s impossible not to imagine the possibilities of this Vikings team peaking in early November.
Instead, Minnesota is out of the NFC playoff race. This is a team playing for pride, a group making up for lost time. O’Connell referenced their circumstances Sunday night. He even admitted that weeks ago, amid a four-game losing skid culminating in a shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he stood before the team and gave a simple message.
“I told them, ‘There ain’t no exit ramps here, so we’re just going to keep on grinding and learning a lot about each other,’” O’Connell said. “It works both ways. Players and coaches. We’re learning about each other.”
The learning extends beyond the locker room. This game and the next three are snapshots of development.
Each weekend, you get to see a team, a coach and a quarterback, all of which have been hardened by a trying season. There promises to be both good and bad, with the hope of much more of the former.
As for another Griddy? Just like McCarthy’s potential, only time will tell.
Source: The Athletic
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