J.J. McCarthy’s domination over the Cowboys showed progress, but one stat raises cause for concern
J.J. McCarthy has put together two really good performances, but being against bad defenses raises a red flag.
Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy didn’t start out the best on Sunday night with an interception, but he thrived once he got going. The Vikings got the win 34-26, and it was thanks to his performance.
McCarthy ended up completing 15-24 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for a touchdown on a great play-action bootleg that was reminiscent of Peyton Manning against the same Cowboys team in 2013. His performance was excellent, but there is one red flag within the context of this performance.
J.J. McCarthy’s performance wasn’t the first great one against the Cowboys defense
The Vikings were really good against a bad Cowboys defense led by Matt Eberflus. In fact, he’s far from the first quarterback to do so this season. Four quarterbacks, including McCarthy, have had season-high performances against the Cowboys this season with two more having their second-highest in terms of passing yards.
It’s a really important element to the conversation that the last two defenses McCarthy has faced haven’t been good in the slightest. That’s not to say that it should be a disqualifier or the excitement surrounding McCarthy should be lessened. It does, however, raises a question about what these performances mean.
It’s not nothing to see McCarthy put together back-to-back good games, along with eight consecutive quarters scoring an offensive touchdown. There is a lot of really good stuff on the tape, from decision making to poise in the pocket. However, he’s shown a lot of struggles against better defenses in the league.
If we really want to be confident about what McCarthy can be, seeing it against a really good defense will make you feel a heck of a lot better about his development. It’s all a part of the development process, and there are three games left for McCarthy to take that next step and for the Vikings to gather information.
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