The Minnesota Vikings‘ season has not gone to plan. On the one hand, the defense has not managed to take that step forward into becoming one of the league’s elite units – although they are still 11th in total defense.

But the bigger issue has concerned the offense, where quarterback, JJ McCarthy has severely underperformed relative to even modest pre-season expectations.

Under him, the team have just a 2-4 record – worse than that of backup, Carson Wentz, who went 2-3 in his 5 starts, who also exhibited far superior general play – and McCarthy himself has a quarterback rating of 57.9, the second worst in the league behind only rookie fifth rounder, Shedeur Sanders, who has just one career start to his name.

As much of the support for McCarthy has rapidly become to collapse amongst the Vikings’ fanbase, as his performances have failed to generate much to be enthused about, one player remains hopeful.

Justin Jefferson Shares His Thoughts On JJ McCarthy

All-Pro wideout and former Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson – another “JJ” – spoke to the media on Wednesday, and shared his thoughts on the team’s starting quarterback’s play over the course of his first six starts.

“Tough, I would say”, Jefferson said when asked to describe McCarthy’s first six starts as a pro, “All in all just because it’s early. He’s new to the game, he’s new to the NFL. He’s learning just like everyone else had to learn as a rookie. And he obviously had to go through the mental stage of having to overcome an injury in the first year.”

Jefferson emphasized the struggles of being a young player early on as part of the former Michigan man’s steep learning curve in adjusting to the pro game, but expressed confidence that McCarthy will surprise people and manage to push on from his struggles so far this season.

“Just a tough transition for him. But I feel like just him learning these past couple of games and of course learning the stretch of the season. I feel like he’s going to bounce back in a different way than everybody else is going to think.”

JJ McCarthy Has Had A Difficult Start To His NFL Career

McCarthy has faced not one but two layoffs that have seen him miss substantial time over the course of his first two years in the league.

The first – a meniscus tear – kept him out for the entirety of his rookie season, although with former starter, Sam Darnold’s excellent play throughout the year, it is quite possible he would have remained on the sidelines for the duration of 2024 irregardless of his health.

And the second one; a high ankle sprain suffered in the blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons back in September; saw him miss a month-and-a-half of action in the early part of the 2025 season.

Now the onus is on JJ to starting stringing together more consistent play post-snap, as the season enters a critical juncture heading into the final six weeks of the regular season.

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