The struggles for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy continued in Week 12 at Lambeau Field. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards, threw two interceptions, and took five sacks in the Vikings‘ 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers on November 23.
Minnesota’s offense never found a rhythm, scoring just six points in the first half and failing to produce in the second. The defense battled to keep the game close. However, the Packers steadily built their lead until the result was out of reach.
With criticism coming left and right toward McCarthy, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden weighed in on the struggles that the former Michigan product has been facing over the last couple of weeks.
“This is going to be a tough process,” Gruden said on the November 24 edition of “Wake Up Barstool.” “It always is with a young quarterback. I remember going through this with Brett Favre in Green Bay in 1992. There were peaks and valleys. The big thing with J.J. is [that] he has to play the position better, focusing on the little things. They had eight false starts in one game. Communication at the line of scrimmage has to improve. He needs to avoid interceptions and negative plays.
“I learned from Bill Walsh long ago that we will not save a bad idea at any position. He has to show improvement. Ball security must be better, his mechanics at the line of scrimmage have to improve, and they need to start putting points on the board while competing.”
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Shouldn’t Have a Bust Label Just Yet
Moreover, FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen didn’t disagree with Gruden’s comments, noting that any criticism of the Vikings quarterback is deserved, but the former tight end isn’t willing to go so far as to call McCarthy a bust.
“Of course, there’s going to be a learning curve, struggles, and ups and downs,“ Olsen said during the same segment on “Wake Up Barstool.“ “He has a great coach in Kevin O’Connell, who seems to have brought out the best in nearly every quarterback he’s worked with in Minnesota. So I don’t think we should just cast him aside and say it’s over, that we have to move on to somebody else.
“On the other hand, this is a team that won 14 games last year. This is an offense with Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, and an offensive line that has been banged up, plus an offensive play caller. There are a lot of pieces here, so maybe you’re not a 14-win offense like last year, but certainly better than what we’ve seen. I think the criticism is warranted.”
Vikings Are Still Backing J.J. McCarthy
Furthermore, after the Packers’ loss, Aaron Jones Sr. came to McCarthy’s defense. The Vikings veteran wouldn’t allow the young quarterback to take all the blame for their performance.
“On the sideline, I told him, ‘Keep your head up. I’m proud of you. It’s not all on you,‘” Jones told reporters after the loss. “It’s everybody’s job around him to make his job easier, and we didn’t do that today. We just have to go back to the drawing board, continue to work, keep our process right, and stick together.”
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