The Minnesota Vikings have watched J.J. McCarthy face intense scrutiny as he works his way back from his ankle injury. The young quarterback has delivered some encouraging stretches that point to real long-term upside, along with moments where the NFL game seems too overwhelming.
Minnesota now have to figure out how to bring more of the positives to the surface. His late touchdown drive against the Chicago Bears in Week 11 showed the poise he can tap into, and the team needs that level from kickoff through the final snap.
Even with that, there are still loud opinions calling for the Vikings to move on and find another quarterback who can take advantage of an offense ready to contend right now. Despite the concerns, NFL insider Tom Pelissero doesn’t see the Vikings throwing in the towel on McCarthy.
“If you want to be an optimist about J.J. McCarthy, it’s this: We have seen the good with J.J. McCarthy,” Pelissero said on the November 21 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “You look at the Detroit game, you look at down the stretch in both Chicago games, it’s in there. He’s not a guy who is just scattershot all over the place. It’s not a guy who simply can’t throw a football.
“It’s that you’re seeing the good is really good, the bad is really bad. And what they’ve got to do is not make J.J. McCarthy into a perfect quarterback in a short period of time. They [have] got seven games left in this season. You’re going to continue to have some ups and downs, but what they’ve got to do is keep those downs from being so far down. You can’t miss Justin Jefferson wide open at the sideline.”
Vikings Need to Stick With J.J. McCarthy
Moreover, Pelissero isn’t the only NFL media figure unwilling to give up on McCarthy. ESPN and Amazon Prime NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently stated that it would be foolish to write off McCarthy after only a handful of games in what is his rookie season, considering he missed his first year in the league due to injury.
“I just think it’s very premature whether it’s a guy like J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix or whoever it might be to look at them and evaluate them and make a declaration that this guy’s trash or doesn’t have what it takes,“ Herbstreit said on the November 20 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I know there are people out there [who believe this] because we are a world of consuming sports, especially that position, and we want results right now; what have you done for me last week? What did you do against Baltimore? What did you do against Chicago?
“If this week he goes out and performs, people might say, ‘Oh, he figured it out this week.‘ It’s not like that. I think the injury last year set him back. Just getting reps, just being around, even this year, there were times when he wasn’t able to get many reps, Monday through Friday. That slows down your development.”
Vikings Leaders Back J.J. McCarthy
Though some national NFL analysts are raising doubts about McCarthy’s potential as a starting quarterback, the seasoned players on Minnesota’s offense remain supportive of the Michigan product.
During the Vikings’ two-game skid and a rough patch of his own, McCarthy noted that team leaders, including Justin Jefferson, are committed to putting in extra work to help him navigate these challenges and bounce back.
“They’ve been awesome, “ McCarthy said about his pass-catchers while talking to reporters on November 19. “I can’t thank them enough for the patience level and the leadership out of every person in that group, them pushing me every single day to be the best version of myself and doing it in ways that a lot of people don’t see. So, you know, I just love them with all my heart and [ I am] so grateful for every single one of those boys.”
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