Thanks to the ineptitude that Carson Wentz showed on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, there should be no question who is under center on Thursday for the Minnesota Vikings. J.J. McCarthy has been working back from a high ankle sprain, but he was healthy enough to be in uniform on Sunday. On Thursday, he best be under center.
It was a revenge game on Sunday for Carson Wentz, and now, the Minnesota Vikings must turn to J.J. McCarthy for his storyline the rest of the way.
Minnesota watched Wentz make poor throws, bad decisions, and game defining missteps against the Philadelphia Eagles. He has stepped in as a veteran backup, and there has been zero indication he is capable of either a Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones-esque career revival. He can, and should, go back to holding the clipboard as long as McCarthy has a pulse.
J.J. McCarthy Returns to Center Stage in Vikings QB1 Discussions
On Thursday, Minnesota will travel to Los Angeles on a short week to face Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers. McCarthy was last successful under center as the quarterback for Harbaugh’s National Championship-winning Michigan Wolverines. There’s no reason to expect Kevin O’Connell will tip his hand, but McCarthy should be given every reason to start that game.
The Vikings turned to McCarthy this offseason when they opted against doing what was necessary to retain either Darnold or Jones. Both are now experiencing success elsewhere, while McCarthy has made a whopping two starts, and has shown one quarter of successful play.
The development of what both Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have designated as their future must start now. It’s clear that McCarthy didn’t get the level of growth he needed last season while trying to learn from the sidelines. His knee injury kept him off the practice field, and it’s been made evident that mental reps haven’t translated to real-time game exposure.
Now back practicing and needing to get game action, the rest of the season has to be McCarthy’s no matter how things go. It should start in a situation where he has something invested in beating his former head coach. It should continue with a 3-3 record, in which the Vikings still have something to play for.
This league isn’t about massaging feelings, and the Vikings tabbed McCarthy as a first round pick because they believed he could lead the franchise. Either they have soured on that and everyone failed, or the immediate future has to be about affirming that reality and continuing to push towards it is a must.
