The Minnesota Vikings trailed 20-7 at the half on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders in preseason action. J.J. McCarthy had a big second half for Minnesota and they defeated Las Vegas 24-23. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan.
For now, he will be the backup quarterback to Sam Darnold to start the 2024 season. Darnold started the game and completed 4-of-8 passes for 59 yards. As for McCarthy, he completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
McCarthy threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Trishton Jackson in the third quarter and also threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield. Jackson and Sherfield are looking to be the third wide receiver on the Vikings roster over Jalen Nailor.
Trishton Jackson led the Vikings in receiving with four receptions for 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. Trent Sherfield also caught three passes for 46 yards receiving and one touchdown. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will be the top wide receivers on the depth chart for Minnesota this season.
Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Speaks to the Media About J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings head coach is pleased with the way McCarthy has been growing into his role for now with the team. Kevin O’Connell told Will Ragatz of sportsillustrated.com by saying:
“Clearly, everybody can see the arm talent. I just love seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive, still stay true to footwork, timing, rhythm and where his eyes should be. So there was a lot of positives with J.J.’s performance tonight and a lot of areas where we’ll be able to hit the ground running when these guys are back in on Monday.”
It will be interesting to see when JMcCarthy could start this season for the Vikings over Sam Darnold. His teammates are already impressed with his mental makeup. Jackson said:
“He looked outstanding. Even with the early interception, I know he felt bad about it but he turned around and showed it. Great leadership. Getting us in and out of the huddle quick, fast, he’s poised. He’s legit.”
It is good that he growing through the process in the preseason for the Vikings. He will have another two games to prove himself before the start of the 2024 season. The Minnesota rookie quarterback also added to the media after the win on Monday:
“What an opportunity, honestly. In this league, things are going to go bad, and it’s your ability to respond and navigate those waters when it does happen. Just being able to have that goldfish memory to just go back out there and have that sling-it mentality, which is what I needed.”
It will be interesting to see what he could do in the final two games before the season begins. The plan is for the Minnesota Vikings to have J.J. McCarthy keep developing behind the scenes.
