Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is fighting to solidify his role as the backup to Kyler Murray, delivered a seriously mixed bag of a performance in Saturday’s game against the Ravens. This wasn’t about winning the starting job, that battle is done, but solidifying his position as QB2, and those end zone misses are definitely not helping his case.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugh from Saturday
McCarthy’s stat line for his quarter of work looked like this: 5-of-10 for 81 yards. He did manage a sweet 50-yard strike to wide receiver Tai Felton in the first quarter that put the Vikings right into the red zone, setting up a prime scoring opportunity. You’d think with that kind of field position, a touchdown was a sure thing, right?
Wrong. McCarthy had two clear shots at punching it into the end zone and blew both of them. First, he missed Felton in the back of the end zone on second down. Then, to make it even worse, he flat-out overthrew a wide-open Myles Price on fourth down from the 1-yard line. Missing two opportunities for six points when you’re that close just stings. He also got sacked once and took hits on other plays, but those red zone misfires are what really stick out.
McCarthy Owns It, But What’s Next?
After the game, McCarthy didn’t shy away from it, calling those crucial end zone attempts “throws I’ve got to make.” He sounded confident he can make them, though, telling Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com that he knows he “can make those throws” and it’s “great to have that experience logged in and that data logged in to be able to make that throw next time.”
When asked if he felt sped up on the misfires, McCarthy brushed it off. He said he “wouldn’t say I felt sped up” and that sometimes you hit them, sometimes you miss, saying it’s “what preseason’s all about” and you “get it out now and log that feeling, like I said, and make sure you hit it the next time.” While it’s good he’s logging the experience, those are plays that could make or break a backup bid. He needs to nail those next time, because when you’re fighting for a spot, every single throw matters.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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