NFL Analysis
8/12/24
5 min read
Why J.J. McCarthy's Debut Is A Positive Sign For The Vikings' Future
Editor's note: This story was written prior to McCarthy's knee injury.
It can be tempting to overreact to a good stat line and a fun preseason performance. That's especially true for rookies and exponentially so for quarterbacks.
One of the most impressive performances came from Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick of April's draft. After coming in for starter Sam Darnold in the second quarter, McCarthy went 11-of-17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. His performance was worth 0.72 EPA per play with a 52.6 percent success rate, per TruMedia.
The numbers don't matter much in the preseason; it's more about how someone plays. In this instance, it was about how McCarthy would look in his first snaps of an NFL offense.
McCarthy's comfortability will be critical to the preseason. Before training camps started, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said McCarthy would be ready when "the comfort level that he has within our offense, and his ability to translate it to adverse situations and difficult aspects of playing quarterback in the NFL isn't magnified by inexperience."
The Vikings got a bit of all of that during McCarthy's preseason debut.
McCarthy's first throw saw him read the field, step up in the pocket, and find Jalen Nailor in the middle of the field for an 18-yard gain. The second throw was a missed attempt to fullback C.J. Ham with pressure in his face off a play-action boot.
On the third throw, McCarthy again faced pressure, tried to move out of the pocket, and threw off balance. The throw lofted enough for Raiders corner Jack Jones to undercut the route for an interception.
Think McCarthy was just a *tick* late on this, allowing for the backside pressure, but it's cool to see his process. Wants this quick in, turns it down. Looks at the deep out, turns it down. Comes back and wants this backside dig, but doesn't pull it in time pic.twitter.com/cqp2vwHvKF
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) August 11, 2024
What's meaningful for McCarthy and the Vikings is what happened next. After a four-yard run on second down, McCarthy found Trishton Jackson on a crosser from under center for a 24-yard gain. It wasn't just the throw but what the Vikings and O'Connell did to set it up.
Before the snap, Jackson motioned into a tight bunch on the right side of the line. When McCarthy faked the handoff to the back, Trent Sherfield (11), the No. 2 point of the bunch, sold run blocking, which froze the two defenders in front of him. Jackson used that to run his crosser underneath Sherfield for an easy open catch.
Regardless of the quality or experience of the quarterback, it's good to put him in situations where there can be easy answers. That's where O'Connell has thrived as a play-caller, and it showed with McCarthy and Darnold.
Those crossers are some of O'Connell's best work as a play designer, and the Vikings weaponized them during his tenure in Minnesota. During the past two years, Kirk Cousins ranked fourth in EPA per play when targeting crossers while targeting them at the eighth-highest rate.
The Vikings presented and dressed up their routes in many ways to create openings, typically with room to run after the catch.
It's a simple way to get the quarterback comfortable in the rhythm of the offense and find easy throws down the field. Crossers will be a staple of Minnesota's passing game as long as O'Connell is there. Nearly a quarter of McCarthy's throws targeted crossers in his preseason debut.
The Vikings also created other openings for McCarthy, such as hiding Sherfield in the backfield and getting him out for a wide-open touchdown with a hard sell on play-action that roped in three defenders on the right side of the field.
McCarthy made some impressive throws on his own. His first touchdown pass was a go ball to Jackson, who ran past the defensive back covering him on the outside. A 45-yard touchdown pass in rhythm — five steps and a hitch from under center without play-action — went about 46 yards in the air.
He also made some nice throws on out routes, which showed off his timing and arm strength. O'Connell was impressed by McCarthy's ability to bounce back and stay aggressive after the interception.
McCarthy also had a nine-yard scramble out of pressure on a third-and-5 and had two big conversions immediately preceding his two touchdown passes. The first was a 15-yard strike to TE Nick Muse on a third-and-9, and the second was a 10-yard outside slant to Jackson on a fourth-and-1. Both throws were calm in the rhythm of the offense.
This wasn't a training-wheels offense that insulated the quarterback, but plenty of options made life easier on whoever was behind center. That should be the goal for all teams with these young passers as they translate to the NFL.
It also doesn't mean McCarthy is set to leap into the opening-day lineup. There is still more we should want to see out of structure, and he's been consistently practicing with the second team in camp. The Vikings will build this up slowly.
If the key is how well McCarthy handles adversity and isn't overcome by inexperience, his preseason debut was a great start. O'Connell has already shown that the structure in place will benefit either Darnold or McCarthy, which is a positive sign for the Vikings and the offense's future.
