The Minnesota Vikings fell to the Baltimore Ravens 13-3 in their second preseason game on Aug. 22 at U.S. Bank Stadium. J.J. McCarthy played the first quarter, and much of the focus from this game is on the third-year quarterback’s performance.
During his time on the field, McCarthy went 5-for-10 on his pass attempts for 81 yards, and he was asked once. McCarthy had two costly misses during the game.
His first came on the opening play when he couldn’t connect with Myles Price near the sideline. He later missed Price again on a short pass near the goal line. After the game, the former first-round pick addressed these plays as Minnesota couldn’t come away with a touchdown.
“Those are just throws I gotta make,” McCarthy told reporters. “Called great plays. At the end of the day, I know I can make those throws. It was great to have that experience and that data logged in, to be able to make that throw next time…
“I wouldn’t say I felt sped up. It’s just, sometimes you hit ’em, sometimes you miss. It’s just one of those things, what preseason’s all about. You get it out now and log that feeling, like I said, make sure you hit it next time.”
Moreover, McCarthy provided an update on how he’s feeling through training camp and two preseason games.
“Really good,” McCarthy added. “There’s one thing to really work on your mechanics in a vacuum in the offseason and in practice, but when you go out there and live bullets are flying, to see it show up in many different ways is really exciting and really encouraging.”
J.J. McCarthy Calms Any Concern of An Injury
Meanwhile, there was concern that McCarthy was injured after he took a sack and took several hits. The Ravens broadcast also noted that he appeared to be “wincing” on the sideline following his final drive, per Pro Football Talk. Nonetheless, McCarthy calmed concerns about a potential injury.
“A little banged up, but yeah, I’m healthy,” McCarthy added. I’m ready to go. We’ll be on it tomorrow for sure… I always want to keep playing no matter what, but Coach O’Connell is going to make the right decision for me and the team. I’m just following orders.”
Should the Vikings Given J.J. McCarthy More Reps?
Nonetheless, Phil Mackey of “Purple Daily” was puzzled by head coach Kevin O’Connell’s decision to let McCarthy play one quarter. Mackey added that McCarthy lacks reps given his limited number of games played, and now is the time to give him those reps rather than split them with Wentz, who is a veteran.
“I don’t know why they drew up the quarterback plan the way that they did today, with J.J. McCarthy playing the first quarter, Carson Wentz playing the second quarter and then an entire half of Max Brosmer,” Mackey said on the Aug. 22 edition of “Purple Daily” after the Vikings’ loss to the Ravens. “What value do you gain out of that?
“You want J.J. McCarthy to play as many reps as possible. He’s behind on reps. It’s been two years, and the biggest criticism, rightfully so, is that he needs reps. He didn’t throw the ball a ton in college. He didn’t practice at all his rookie season after the injury, and it was stops and starts with injuries last year.”
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