The Minnesota Vikings are getting the full experience of what head coach Kevin O’Connell calls the “quarterback journey” with J.J. McCarthy.
After another rough game where McCarthy proved inaccurate and threw two interceptions in a 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, November 16, the rollercoaster of a first-year starting quarterback hit a new low.
And for those wondering if the Vikings can still get off the ride, buckle up.
Kevin O’Connell Addresses Vikings Benching JJ McCarthy
In his postgame news conference, O’Connell was asked if there is a certain level of performance that would make him consider benching McCarthy.
O’Connell pushed back.
“Yeah, I’m not going to get into any of that right now,” O’Connell said in his postgame news conference.
After sailing a pass over Justin Jefferson‘s head in the third quarter, McCarthy was met with boos from fans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. O’Connell monitored his quarterback’s emotions throughout the game, which could be a source of his inaccuracies.
“He was frustrated. I just kept telling him, ‘feet and eyes, feet and eyes,’ and the things that we saw throughout the week on the practice field. Make it about that,” O’Connell said. “With a young quarterback, there’s going to be a lot of things that we’ll pinpoint and continue to highlight and tie that preparation throughout the week and our plans to what he does well, and continue to coach the things where we feel the emphasis needs to be on. It’s part of the young QB journey, results like today.”
While it was a loss and arguably McCarthy’s worst performance of the season, O’Connell was encouraged by the young quarterback leading a 10-play, 85-yard scoring drive to take the lead with 50 seconds remaining before the Bears clinched the game with a field goal as time expired.
“Especially when you’re able to fight through it all, get the lead, you would love to be making a lot of those growth coaching points and development coaching points with a one-point win, but credit the Bears in the end,” O’Connell added.
How Bad Has McCarthy Been? There’s Hope After Vikings QB’s First Five Starts
McCarthy’s first five starts are not encouraging, but few first-year starting quarterbacks are.
Since the 1976 merger, 19 rookie quarterbacks who have played five or more regular-season games have made the playoffs. While McCarthy is not a rookie, he is the youngest quarterback in the league at 22 years old and missed his entire rookie year with a meniscus injury.
However, the time on task missed from his rookie year is proving invaluable. McCarthy has the lowest completion percentage (52.9%) and quarterback rating (61.7) among 35 qualifying quarterbacks.
Overall, McCarthy has flashed the hero throws akin to franchise quarterbacks, but the consistency of making routine “pitch and catch” throws is still far away for him.
But there is hope.
McCarthy has to find calm in the pocket before his mechanics can translate into live action. Through his first three starts, McCarthy was sacked 14 times on 36 pressures for a 38.9% pressure-to-sack rate, which was the highest rate in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.
But in his past two starts, McCarthy has shown improved pocket awareness, taking just one sack on 31 pressures (3.2%). For McCarthy to make the right play, he has to remain in rhythm and not panic when pressure is coming.
His past two performances suggest he’s gaining more comfort in pressure, and better throws could soon follow.
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