Last week, many national observers questioned whether the Minnesota Vikings soft-benched J.J. McCarthy under the guise of an ankle injury after a slow start from the young quarterback.
The McCarthy-led offense failed to score touchdowns in seven of its first eight quarters. He ranked 33rd among 33 eligible quarterbacks in passer rating, while the Vikings offense put up the second-fewest net yards and ranked 32nd in expected points added.
As McCarthy surfaced with an ankle injury after a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the notion of a soft benching was pushed heavily by outside prognosticators.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, O’Connell “pushed back last week on suggestions that starting [Carson] Wentz amounted to a soft benching for McCarthy.”
On Monday, the Vikings coach doubled down on the process of getting McCarthy ready to play again this year, saying “there is value” in McCarthy sitting and watching Wentz operate in Week 3, per ESPN.
“Sometimes, it’s the reactionary ability to still consistently play with the rhythm and the poise and the decision-making,” O’Connell said, “and all that becomes much easier when you’re taking the right footwork and you’re balanced throughout the drop and reading with your feet. That can be an incredible weapon for a quarterback, whether they’ve played 20 years or they’ve played two games.”
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Hedges Toward a Longer Absence for McCarthy
After arriving at the Vikings team facilities with ankle soreness last week, McCarthy was put in a walking boot for the week before shedding it going into the weekend.
McCarthy will make the trip to Europe with the team, embarking on a two-week stay overseas as the Vikings play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 4 and the Cleveland Browns in London, England, in Week 5.
McCarthy making the trip seemed to open the possibility that he could return before the team’s Week 6 bye.
However, O’Connell does not appear desperate to throw him back onto the field until he is healthy — and prepared to play — again.
“First and foremost,” O’Connell said, “he’s got to get healthy. And then, I don’t think it’s one of those things where it’s, hey, he’s healthy the night before a game, we’re going to throw him out there and say, ‘Hey, go figure it out’ type of thing.”
Even while on season-ending injured reserve last year, McCarthy prepared as if he were the starter every week — just as he is with an ankle injury.
However, connecting the mental to the physical seems to be the missing piece for the young quarterback, who was tied for the seventh-longest time to throw in the league at 3.05 seconds.
1. J.J. McCarthy: 3.08s – 7th of 44 (55 dropbacks) 2. Carson Wentz: 2.55s – 37th of 44 (26 dropbacks) 3. Max Brosmer: 1.85s – 44th of 44 (4 dropbacks)
How Much is J.J. McCarthy’s Struggles on Him vs. Vikings O-Line
To be clear: the Vikings turned down multiple veteran quarterbacks to move forward with McCarthy as their future at the position — and he still is.
However, it wasn’t pretty. There are significant strides McCarthy needs to make, but he was not done any favors by a patchwork offensive line missing Christian Darrisaw for the first two games of his career.
The graph below charts how responsible a quarterback is for a sack versus their pass protection. McCarthy is an extreme outlier, bearing the most blame for the sacks he’s taken.
However, his pass protection was also abysmal, facing pressure on 40% of dropbacks for the first two weeks of the season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
This amounts to McCarthy having the highest pressure-to-sack percentage in the NFL at 40.9%.
McCarthy must become more situationally aware to avoid sacks, not only to prevent a negative play, but also to protect himself and stay healthy moving forward.
Vikings Coach Has Clear Message on Benching JJ McCarthy