GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy says his confidence remains intact even as the first-year starter’s struggles mount while his team falls further from playoff contention.
But he also realizes his results need to improve in a hurry.
An offense that has been unable to establish a rhythm all season reached its nadir in the second half of a 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The problems are only going to increase the scrutiny facing McCarthy, who has thrown 10 interceptions with only six touchdown passes this season.
“Confidence is always high no matter what because the guys in that room, because (of) the trust and faith in my abilities,” McCarthy said. “It’s just we’ve got to put things together. We’ve got to keep putting days together, plays together and execute better at the end of the day.”
Minnesota has plenty invested in McCarthy, who got selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft after helping Michigan win a national title. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season while recovering from knee surgery and sat out five games with a high ankle sprain this season, curtailing his development.
In his first game back from the ankle injury, McCarthy threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score to lead the Vikings to a 27-24 win at Detroit. But he has thrown a combined six interceptions with two touchdown passes in three games since, and the Vikings (4-7) lost each of those games.
That’s a tough fall for a team that went 14-3 last season with quarterback Sam Darnold, who now plays for Seattle.
“I’ve got to be better,” McCarthy said. “I’ve got to do a lot of things better.”
Minnesota’s offense couldn’t have fared much worse than it did in the final two quarters Sunday.
The Vikings totaled 4 net yards and three turnovers — including two McCarthy interceptions — while getting outscored 13-0 in the second half. The Vikings hadn’t finished any half with as few as 4 yards of total offense since at least 1991, which is as far back as Sportradar’s research goes on the subject.
“I hate to lose,” wide receiver Justin Jefferson said. “I hate to be in this type of situation. I hate feeling the way we feel. I hate coming into this locker room and seeing the down faces and — not negative energy, but the down energy. We’ve just got to fix it and turn it around.”
It was a tough finish to a game that started out with plenty of promise.
The Vikings had activated center Ryan Kelly from injured reserve Saturday, which enabled them to open this game with their entire preferred starting offensive line for the first time all season. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones rushed for a combined 86 yards in the first half as Minnesota controlled the ball well enough to take the pressure off McCarthy.
“We’ve got to keep putting together plans that give us a chance that express what we want to be as an offense with some talented players in that huddle, while also giving (McCarthy) a chance to grow, but not putting the game totally in his hands where the variance of a young quarterback will cost our whole team,” O’Connell said. “I think there’s a needle to thread there, and we’ve got to keep on building the foundation of playing the position, but also all 11 guys in the huddle doing their jobs.”
But after a fumbled punt gave Green Bay first-and-goal at the 5 to set up Emanuel Wilson's touchdown that extended the Packers’ lead to 17-6, Minnesota had to put more on McCarthy’s shoulders. And that’s when everything started to fall apart.
McCarthy went 12 of 19 for 87 yards and was sacked five times, with four of them coming in the second half. Minnesota’s last two possessions ended with McCarthy throwing interceptions. By this point, he was working behind an offensive line that had lost two starters with injuries sidelining guard Donovan Jackson and tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Minnesota’s offense has plenty of room for improvement across the board, but the criticism will naturally start with the quarterback who didn’t play during last season’s playoff run.
“Getting on the plane and watching the film and continuing to just stack the days and wake up every single day ready to get better and just make small increments each and every day and continuing to just perfect my craft,” McCarthy said. “The weaknesses that are exposed, make sure I’m on track with those and getting back to the right spot every week.”
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