J.J. McCarthy takes a pivotal step forward in a must-win game, and gives the Vikings hope for the future
The Minnesota Vikings needed J.J. McCarthy to have a good game, and he delivered that and hope for the future.
The Minnesota Vikings were desperate for a win on Sunday afternoon, and they got one against the Washington Commanders. It wasn’t just a win; they shut out the Commanders 31-0, becoming the first team since 1992 to do so the week after being shut out themselves.
The game was one in which quarterback J.J. McCarthy needed to play well. He was coming off a concussion that held him out in the 26-0 shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and things haven’t been going well for him. He’s 2-4 as a starter and coming off a brutal performance against the Green Bay Packers, when he suffered a concussion.
J.J. McCarthy thrives in return to action
The one thing that McCarthy needed was a good game. It wasn’t just about having a good game, but about building up some confidence as we move into the final month of the season.
McCarthy answered the call by completing 16-of-23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. This was his first game with three passing touchdowns, and his third game with three combined touchdowns. It wasn’t just the box score that looked good; the advanced metrics were much better.
Throughout the game, things felt different. McCarthy felt more comfortable, and the game looked slower for him. Did coach Kevin O’Connell make things easier for him? Yes and no.
“I think it was a combination of J.J.’s execution staying efficient. We used some different looks early on in the game to try some change-ups, to maybe some things we’ve done, either personnel-wise or schematically,” said O’Connell.
You could see the changeups right away. On the first drive, O’Connell called a jet sweep to Jalen Nailor that went for 10 yards. The last time they called that was against the Detroit Lions, and it went for nearly 20 yards and a first down on the game-winning touchdown drive.
McCarthy also thrived getting through his progressions without panicking, which came to fruition on the second touchdown to Josh Oliver.
The little things have been big for the Vikings this season, and McCarthy showed some real improvement across the board. Even so, he knows there is a lot of work still to be done.
“There’s a lot that is going through my head right now in terms of what I need to do better,” said McCarthy. “At the end of the day, just happy we got the win, and we’re going to critique this like crazy tonight and fix it tomorrow.”
Things haven’t been good for the Vikings and McCarthy, but this is a good step forward. The next step is doing it again next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
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Vikings make history in shutout win vs. Commanders, and it speaks volumes about what this team could have been this season
The Minnesota Vikings are the first team since 1992 to be on both ends of a shutout in back-to-back weeks.
