JJ McCarthy Faces Brutally Honest Take After Vikings Camp
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There appears to be a method to the madness in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Vikings' trial by fire for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, facing Brian Flores' defense every day in training camp, appears to have paid dividends.
Facing the New England Patriots in joint practices this week, McCarthy put forth his best practice as a Viking, suddenly looking like a "star" against the New England starting defense.
According to Patriots beat reporter Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Vikings were better in just about every drill. That was to be expected in the matchup between the Vikings defense and Patriots offense, but McCarthy's dominance came as a surprise.
J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during training camp on August 02, 2024 in Eagan, Minnesota.
J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during training camp on August 02, 2024 in Eagan, Minnesota.
Photo by"The offense was expected to struggle against the complex and talented Vikings group that Brian Flores oversees," Graff wrote in an August 14 article. "Instead, the real worry is the way the defense played Thursday. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota's young quarterback who had struggled against his own defense, suddenly looked like a star against New England. In full team drills, he completed 17 of 20 passes for six touchdowns."
With McCarthy on the mend all last year after suffering a meniscus injury in the 2024 preseason opener, joint practices with the Patriots were his first true test against another team's full starting defense, which rarely plays in preseason games.
And he passed with flying colors.
Read more: Vikings Coach Offers Cryptic JJ McCarthy Update
McCarthy's performance creating worry in New England appears more of a positive sign for the Vikings quarterback than a concern for the Patriots. NFL.com ranked the Patriots defense the No. 9 unit in the league entering the 2025 season.
"It felt decisive, and it felt like there was an incredible amount of conviction to some of the decisions he made," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said after practice on Thursday, Aug. 16. "It was all things we've been working on, all things he's talented at and capable of doing. But to do it in this setting should give him some confidence moving forward."
While it was just one practice where McCarthy flashed his star power, it's a testament to his development and return from injury that has been months in the making.
Read more: Former Bears QB Sends Clear Advice to Caleb Williams
O'Connell has maintained tempered expectations of his young quarterback but had seen enough after Thursday's practice. He announced that McCarthy will not play on Saturday against New England as the young quarterback's attention now turns toward getting ready for the season-opener against the Chicago Bears on primetime.
"I understand there's going to be some things that people want to see immediately," O'Connell added. "There's going to be things that the reactions will be justified because it's the National Football League and the expectations are on all of us, me included — me mostly, hopefully — but we're just going to keep coaching and ask our players to keep getting better every single day."
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