The Minnesota Vikings recorded one of their statement wins of the season in Week 14, dominating a Washington Commanders team that had quarterback, Jayden Daniels start for the first time since Week 9, 31-0.
The Vikings became the first team to pitch a shutout the very next week after getting shutout themselves since the 1992 Denver Broncos, having gotten demolished by the Seahawks 26-0 back in Week 13 during backup QB, Max Brosmer’s first career pro start.
One of the big consolidating points for Minnesota was the improvement from franchise quarterback, JJ McCarthy, who completed 16/23 passes for 163 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions, all for a very impressive 129.3 QBR.
And speaking a couple of days after the game on Tuesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell detailed the message he gave to the former Michigan man ahead of the game last weekend.
Kevin O’Connell Helped JJ McCarthy ‘Quiet’ His Mind
Kevin O’Connell has tried to emphasize McCarthy’s quarterback instincts and actually just playing the game, rather than hyper-analyzing situations and pre-snap reads.
“In certain times of the season, you would get a response of âI thought this player was gonna do thatâ speaking about a defensive player.” Kevin O’Connell said on KFAN1003 radio on December 9.
“Or, âHey I played with Mike Sainristil at Michigan, heâs real instinctive, he might try to do this.â Stop, just quiet your mind and letâs not overthink anything other than what is my job on the play, and making good decisions, putting the ball in play..every play there is a positive outcome and you hold the cards to go finding that positive outcome.
JJ McCarthy’s Performance Looking To Be A Move In The Correct Direction
Many suggested that the former National Champion played with a composure and calmness to his game seldom seen during his rookie year to-date, and the Vikings’ head coach implies that this quieting of the mind may have contributed to his young QB’s substantial improvement since he last took the field against the Green Bay Packers in Week 12.
And it’s amazing just what the calmness you’re speaking of simply comes from stacking plays of doing your job and putting the ball in play to Minnesota Vikings players in space, whether it’s a two-yard gain or a fifty-yard gain. They are all positive and have a negative effect on the defense.”
One game is hardly the be-all and end-all for McCarthy. So as happy as Vikings fans will want to be after the win, they know that his development still has a long way to go. Especially considering their opponents, in the Commanders, are the 30th ranked team in total defense, and have a 3-10 record on the season.
But there is no doubting that last Sunday was a good performance and a great step in the right direction for a player whom many in the fanbase were not so quietly starting to almost give up on just months into his short tenure in the National Football League.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Reveals Message To JJ McCarthy Prior To Week 14 Win appeared first on Heavy Sports.