The scene of quarterback J.J. McCarthy being mobbed by his teammates after barging into the visitor’s locker room on Sunday afternoon at Detroit’s Ford Field perfectly encapsulates how the Vikings seem to feel about their young signal caller.
The genuine happiness his teammates displayed in that moment is impossible to fake.
Though he has missed his fair share of games due to injuries to start his career, McCarthy has carried himself in a way that has instilled belief across the organization. That feeling existed long before he played a starring role in the Vikings scoring a 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions.
The most encouraging part of McCarthy’s performance while leading the Vikings to the upset? The fact that he wasn’t satisfied in the immediate aftermath.
“I’m not proud,” McCarthy said. “I feel like I could’ve played a lot better.”
It’s a promising sign that McCarthy already understands that he won’t be able to get by simply on vibes alone. A sense of swagger only goes so far at the highest level. The ability to string completions together is the key to having sustained success.
That’s still a work in progress.
After getting the Vikings off to a fast start against the Lions, for example, McCarthy rode the roller coaster for prolonged stretches.
He wasn’t accurate enough while completing 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception. He also held on to the ball for too long and took a handful of sacks as a result.
“There’s a lot of meat left on the bone,” McCarthy said. “We have to go back to work and make sure we correct all the little things.”
That starts with McCarthy continuing to operate in the rhythm and timing of the offense. He has had success when he has been able to hit his back foot and let it rip. He has gotten himself into trouble when he has tried to freelance outside of the pocket.
That was a point that head coach Kevin O’Connell hammered home as he detailed some of the highs and lows that McCarthy most recently put on tape.
“His poise in running the show I thought was matched by him making some big throws,” O’Connell said. “There are always going to be some things that we can go back and correct.”
As he went over some of the plays stood out to him, O’Connell acknowledged both sides of the spectrum matter in McCarthy’s development.
The good? There was the frozen rope to receiver Jordan Addison near the sideline that showcased the lower body mechanics McCarthy has been working on in practice.
There was also the touch pass to running back Aaron Jones that provided anecdotal evidence to McCarthy that he doesn’t necessarily need to throw every ball 100 mph.
The bad? There was the few missed opportunities to Justin Jefferson that brought to light what happens when McCarthy gets paralyzed with thought and fails to pull the trigger. There was also the misfire to receiver Jalen Nailor that might have gone for a touchdown if McCarthy led him into open space.
“There were some real elements of quarterback play, and then, in moments where maybe it got loose, or we can tighten things up, that’s what we’re here for,” O’Connell said. That’s all part of the journey he’s on.”
Maybe the most interest sequence that O’Connell highlighted was McCarthy going through his progression and checking down to Jones near the line of scrimmage. He brought that up to illuminate the importance of not forcing the issue.
As for the perfect back shoulder fade that McCarthy uncorked to Nailor to put the game on ice? The fact that O’Connell trusted McCarthy enough to let him throw in that situation spoke volumes.
“That’s who he is,” O’Connell said. “He made the play and won the game.”
That’s why with McCarthy leading the charge the sky still feels like the limit for the Vikings.
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