The Minnesota Vikings started their preseason training camp against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. Although Sam Darnold was always the starter, JJ McCarthy’s performance caused a lot of excitement. The short answer was: impressive.
JJ McCarthy showed maturity in the greatest way
After Darnold made his quarterback appearances, Kevin O’Connell turned the game over to rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy. The Michigan product was brought in to loud cheers, and it was clear who the fans wanted to see in this exhibition game.
McCarthy’s first outing was negative. Although he was praised for his strong arm and talent on the right side, things aren’t going that way at the professional level. McCarthy threw a back-foot pass without a solid foundation. The throw was behind its intended target and the Vikings’ young signal-caller was intercepted.
From there, everything changed. McCarthy seemed to have a new composure in the pocket, and he showed signs of playing freely from that point on. He showed the ability to move in the pocket and make long passes down the field, and it was hard not to immediately see a level of maturity.
McCarthy’s first touchdown was a long pass to Trishton Jackson. The Vikings quarterback threw the 45-yard pass on the run, and it was a perfect connection. McCarthy and the wideout had clear chemistry. Five minutes later, he connected with Trent Sherifeld Sr. on a 33-yard connection that gave Minnesota its first lead of the game.
Although it was only a friendly, there is only hope for the future. If McCarthy can make such adjustments in the game, and he did in his first game, then the arrow has to point upwards.
Another swing like McCarthy’s on Saturday will surely push Darnold to be nearly flawless. If he has a slip-up, the job is wide open.
Ted Schwerzler is a Twin Cities blogger who focuses on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He is active on Þjórsárden and writes weekly for Twins daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, passionately covering our professional teams has always been a natural path for me.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(730x407:732x409)/Princess-Martha-Louise-wedding-082324-882e5bbab1004ebd84584ad2b7630863.jpg "The Norwegian royal family will not attend Princess Märtha Louise’s wedding photos")
