The Minnesota Vikings moved on from J.J. McCarthy, giving the former first-round pick a fresh start with the New York Giants. So far, he’s making the most of his new opportunity.
During the Giants’ Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, McCarthy entered in the fourth quarter with New York trailing 34-10, replacing Jameis Winston. He sparked a late rally that brought the Giants within reach of a comeback victory.
McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finishing with a 90.0 passer rating. Although the Giants fell short, his performance could put him in the conversation for the team’s starting quarterback job.
With McCarthy off on the right foot in New York, Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill shared his candid thoughts on seeing his former teammate find success.
“I didn’t watch it live, but I was getting some texts while it was going on, and then I saw the highlights after,” O’Neill said during an Oct. 21 appearance on KFAN. “I was really happy for him. I think you saw how happy the New York Giants sideline was for him. That’s cool.
“You want guys to be able to have a chance to play, and I’m happy he’s stepped in and played well. Who knows what’ll happen the rest of the year, but he’s going to be ready if they call his number.”
J.J. McCarthy Might Be a Better Fit for Giants’ Offense
Furthermore, the promising performance that McCarthy had could come down to him being a better fit for New York. Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber believes that McCarthy might be off playing in the Giants’ offensive system.
“Good for him,” Leber said in an Oct. 19 appearance on KFAN. “… He goes out there in a big, critical moment and makes the throw. If you’re taking those little wins along the way, there’s no reason to think that J.J. can’t figure it out. I can already hear the Vikings fans screaming about how impatient we are with him.
“I just think that we have to keep in mind that different offenses fit different quarterbacks in a variety of different ways; I just don’t think that, overall, even if he becomes successful in this system with the Giants, it means that we were impatient with him [and] I think they just saw that he doesn’t fit this offense. He just is not going to be the guy for our future, especially with the new GM.”
Brian O’Neill on How Vikings’ Bye Week Helped Him
Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off their bye week, and O’Neill offered what’s the best aspect of the bye week for him.
“I would say usually it’s the mind,” O’Neill added. “It was very beneficial for me to have it for the body this week. So it kind of depends where you are.
“Part of me is like, ‘We’re 5-0. I’d rather just keep it rolling and save the bye week till late November, when you’re not that we’re not in the thick of it now, but when you’re really 10, 12 games in.’ But yeah, it’s good to come back refreshed. I needed it for the body, but the mind, I was ready to roll.”
Vikings’ Brian O’Neill Gets Blunt on J.J. McCarthy’s Week 6 Performance