Don’t let one game fool you, Minnesota Vikings fans, J.J. McCarthy is still the same quarterback he was before Sunday. Yes, he threw for three touchdowns and no turnovers in the 31-0 shutout win over the Washington Commanders, but he still had sub-200 passing yards and really didn’t do anything eye-popping.
I’m not saying McCarthy didn’t take steps in the right direction, all I’m saying is this one performance shouldn’t cloud the judgment cast on McCarthy early this season. He still has a ways to go before he’s the quarterback the Vikings need. I don’t think beating a 3-9 Commanders team deserves the hype it's getting.
Until McCarthy shows consistency – which has been his biggest issue – Vikings fans should have the same perception of McCarthy that they had Sunday morning.
J.J. McCarthy still isn’t the Vikings’ long term answer … yet
The Vikings thought McCarty was their future at quarterback. He hasn’t quite looked like that person yet. He can get there, but right now, they need a quarterback that will actually elevate them. You have to wonder if McCarthy would even have returned had Carson Wentz not gotten hurt.
The reality is, Minnesota can still keep McCarthy around, he just shouldn’t be starting. He needs treatment similar to how the Indianapolis Colts treated Anthony Richardson and let him take a back seat. The Vikings are in the middle of their championship window and they can’t continue to waste it away with awful quarterback play.
McCarthy hasn’t done anything this season that makes you believe he’ll make a Drake Maye-level leap in year two. That’s not a player I’m willing to put through another season again. If he was showing signs of improvement, that’s one thing. But this one game doesn’t erase the fact that he has just one game with more than 200 passing yards.
It doesn’t erase the fact that despite having the most games played of any Vikings quarterback this year, he still hasn’t reached 1,000 passing yards and has nearly thrown twice as many interceptions (10) as he has touchdown passes (six). The Vikings would be wise to entering the quarterback market this offseason or risk wasting Justin Jefferson’s prime.
3 replacements the Vikings could desperately turn to amid J.J. McCarthy disasterclass season
Jacoby Brissett
Entering Sunday, Brissett has thrown for nearly 2,200 yards with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions with the Cardinals. He has shown that even though he was expected to be the starter, he’s valuable and can elevate an offense. He’s playing well with a team like the Cardinals, imagine what he’d do with a receiving core that features Justin Jefferson.
Mac Jones
It would be worth it for the Vikings to look at Mac Jones based on what he’s doing in San Francisco. It's exactly what Minnesota needs. Jones isn’t doing anything more than he needs to, he’s not turning the ball over and, again, elevating an offense when they need it. He’s not the active starter with Brock Purdy healthy again, but when he did come in for relief, he was the perfect backup. I could see him having a similar arc to Sam Darnold where he could come in and instantly make Minnesota contenders again.
Kyler Murray
The Arizona Cardinals have already benched Kyler Murray for the year; it could mean they’ll entertain shopping him this offseason. If they do, it might be worth listening to. I don’t know Murray is the type of quarterback Kevin O’Connell would work with, but it’s something worth looking into. A fresh start with a quarterback-savvy coach could be the perfect match to salvage what’s left of Minnesota’s diminishing championship window.