J.J. McCarthy’s biggest issue vs. Falcons isn’t a big deal, and it’s easy to see why

McCarthy’s issues aren’t something to worry about right now.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) throws a pass during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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The Minnesota Vikings are experiencing some major growing pains with starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Sunday night was a rough one for the Vikings on many fronts. The defense allowed the Atlanta Falcons to rush for more than 200 yards in a 22-6 loss, and the offensive line struggled in every phase, especially with communication.

It’s fair to be critical of McCarthy, especially with his inconsistent start. However, there are multiple ways to look at his performance:

  • Process
  • Composure
  • Mechanics

The first two are mostly good. You can tell McCarthy is doing a good job of reading defenses and making the correct decisions most of the time. Yes, there are some lapses, but overall, it’s been solid, which is a good thing for a young quarterback. The big killer is with his mechanics, and it’s causing the majority of the issues he currently has.

J.J. McCarthy’s mechanics are currently his biggest flaw

Going into his rookie season, one of the biggest things that the Vikings were looking to accomplish was to improve his mechanics. McCarthy had issues in college when throwing to the left due to overstriding and overrotating his hips.

In theory, this can be fixed. It looked much better in training camp and the preseason, but it’s far from consistent. That’s somewhat normal when you are trying to adjust mechanics, and it came to fruition in a major way Sunday night, starting with the first throw.

This is a great quick-game concept that the Vikings have run frequently during coach Kevin O’Connell‘s tenure. Jordan Addison has become a master of these routes, but this throw shows exactly why McCarthy isn’t quite ready yet.

His footwork is all over the place. It’s clunky in doing the two-step drop, and he adds a hitch that isn’t necessary. This is a quick concept that just needs the two steps and a fast release. The clunky and elongated process is hurting the effectiveness of what this concept could be, which would ideally end up having Nailor cut up the field for extra yards after the catch.

The other aspect of this play that is frustrating is the back leg. McCarthy struggled with whipping that back leg. That causes the ball to be thrown inaccurately. It’s been a constant during his college and pro careers. His back leg was the same on this throw, and it resulted in an interception.

You don’t want to see mechanics like this, but it’s complicated. McCarthy missed multiple months due to a torn meniscus. That was a major factor in his slowed development. When working on mechanical changes, it can take thousands of reps to instill the necessary changes in those mechanics. Think about trying to adjust your golf swing and how long it takes to fix a simple thing. It’s a similar process, but it often takes longer due to more muscle memory.

The good thing with McCarthy’s mechanics is that he’s already flashing great improvements.

When it comes to a young quarterback, getting him to a point of consistency is one of the hardest things. McCarthy is already going through progressions and making (mostly) good decisions. It’s getting his body to do the right things to catch up with his mind. If that happens, the sky is the limit for the Vikings.

It will take a while, and there will be more bumps in the road, but there’s a reason why everyone trusts O’Connell with his development. Give it time and a lot of patience because he’s earned that.

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