Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has shown great improvement over the last two contests. The Vikings have put together back-to-back wins over NFC East opponents, specifically the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.
Vikings’ QB J.J. McCarthy Shows Improvement
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Take a look at J.J. McCarthy’s last two weeks, per Pro Football Focus:
- 2-0 record
- 73.3% adjusted completion percentage
- 448 total yards
- 6 total touchdowns, 1 interception
- 120.3 passer rating
In these contests, the Minnesota Vikings scored a combined 65 points. In the 4 games leading into the Commanders game, the Vikings scored a combined 42 points. Add the Lions game on to that, and in the five games before, the Vikings scored a combined 69 points.
Some fans aren’t completely sold yet, however, and that extends to Cowboys fans. One Reddit user stated “every QB who has played the Cowboys has looked better than expected. Russell Wilson had a top 5 best game of his entire life and then got benched a week later for being ***”.
Another user backed up that statement, saying “he’s horrible. The Cowboys are trash – a media mirage, just like they are every year in the past thirty.”
There isn’t too much more you can ask a QB to do in their developmental stages. Is he supposed to throw for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns?
J.J. McCarthy Speaks on Improvement
GettyJ.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Adam Patrick of The Viking Age had the scoop on J.J. McCarthy speaking on his improvement in recent weeks.
Following the Vikings’ win over the Cowboys, McCarthy spoke with NBC’s Melissa Stark and shared why things have begun to finally slow down for him in his last two starts.
“I think just experience. Getting to my eighth game today, just feeling more and more comfortable in the pocket, seeing the defenses.
But it makes it really easy when you have an offensive line that plays like that, when you have running backs that run like that, and receivers that catch and get open like they did today.
So, I’m just another piece of the puzzle and very grateful to be here.”
Patrick pitched in his own thoughts on the continued development of McCarthy over the final three games of the season:
All year long, even as he’s performed like the absolute worst quarterback in the NFL, many have been saying that McCarthy needs more reps, and it’s way too early to give up on him.
Judging by the previous two weeks, those who have been making these claims have been proven right, and there’s no reason to think this won’t continue to be the case during the Vikings’ final three games of the season when he’s able to gain even more valuable experience.
It’s hard to disagree, seeing as it probably takes more than a handful of games to develop a quarterback. McCarthy has provided the Vikings loyal a sigh of relief in recent weeks, instill a bit more confidence in them as they roll into 2026 needing to know who the QB will be.
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