J.J. McCarthy cleared to play, can Vikings expect better performances?

J.J. McCarthy cleared to play, can Vikings expect better performances? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

For a guy who is viewed as one of the best QB gurus in the NFL (and rightly so), Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has had a heck of a rough recent run on QB-related decisions. Mr. Minnesota Max Brosmer is just the latest.

He traded up to draft J.J. McCarthy in 2024, a dubious decision that seemed like a reach then and a disaster now. He let both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones depart in free agency this past offseason. Both now seem poised to lead their rejuvenated franchises to the postseason in 2025.

Then, he pushed all of his chips in on McCarthy for 2025 and beyond. His golden boy.

Only for McCarthy to turn out more brownish-beige than gold. Many would surely say that McCarthy’s play this season has been more akin to something brown rather than something gold.

Carson Wentz was decent in relief of McCarthy, but Brosmer just had no business on an NFL field. At least not with the preparation level he had. Which brings us back to McCarthy.

After the Week 13 loss, O’Connell said that the Michigan product was free of concussion symptoms and likely to clear the protocol on his next chance. He will start in Week 14. But can O’Connell and the Vikings really expect anything different?

An easier schedule and improved WR play will help McCarthy

Well, they shouldn’t expect him to start playing like Drake Maye, but sure, they can definitely expect better performances from McCarthy. At least over the next few weeks.

Why? Well, the biggest and most important and most strangely undervalued factor is their opponents. The Packers and Seahawks are tough as they come. But it’s about to get a lot easier.

In Week 14, McCarthy will start against the Washington Commanders at home. That’s a get-right game if we’ve ever seen one. They just played the Denver Broncos tough, but they also allowed Bo Nix to throw for 300+ for the first time since Week 4.

They then go on the road to the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The Dallas defense has improved markedly, but even with that improvement they are just middle of the pack. The Giants’ defensive unit is downright awful.

That means McCarthy gets to play the defenses that have allowed the second-, 11th-, and third-most yards in the NFL over the past five games. Those units have also allowed the third-, fifth-, and second-most points in the NFL during that span.

On top of that, Minnesota’s high-pedigree receivers will have to start playing better. There’s just no getting worse than what Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have produced in recent weeks. Brosmer and McCarthy have sailed a lot of passes, but both first-round receivers have had too many drops considering their talents.

If we follow the logic, easier opponents will allow the Vikings to run the ball, which will allow J.J. McCarthy to play with more time and play more calmly. That will lead to fewer turnovers, a category that has dogged Minnesota all year: they have committed 26, most in the NFL.

Fewer turnovers with Minnesota’s quietly good defense should lead to more manageable situations and better performances for McCarthy.