The J.J. McCarthy Concerns Aren’t Going Away After Another Rough Preseason Showing

After Kyler Murray started the Vikings’ first preseason game, J.J. McCarthy got the start on Saturday and saw extended action playing during Minnesota’s second exhibition contest against the Ravens.

It didn’t exactly help his case.

McCarthy lost the Vikings’ quarterback competition to Murray before the preseason began, but at the very least, coaches had highlighted the growth and steps forward he took throughout the offseason. Unfortunately, said growth was largely invisible during his quarter of action against Baltimore on Saturday.

Of course, it was only a quarter of a preseason game and McCarthy was not playing with the team’s starters, but his performance didn’t do much to ease any of the concerns that caused the Vikings to look elsewhere at quarterback in the first place as he finished 5-for-10 for 81 yards in the 13-3 loss.

The inaccuracy that plagued McCarthy in 2025 showed itself again on Saturday. After leading the Vikings to the red zone after a 50-yard completion to Tai Felton—easily his best play of the game—he missed two open receivers in the end zone for what could have been a touchdown. The most egregious miss came on fourth down, when Myles Price came wide open and McCarthy failed to hit him for an easy touchdown.

JJ McCarthy misses Myles Price WIDE OPEN in the end zone. pic.twitter.com/Ix8VJrEPTe
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 22, 2026

McCarthy had a couple other inaccurate attempts, including another incompletion toward Price near the sideline and a pass over the middle toward Jeshaun Jones.

The incompletion to Price in the end zone was particularly reminiscent of last season, when McCarthy finished first in off-target rate and 32nd out of 33 quarterbacks in bad throw rate, per Pro Football Reference. He regularly struggled connecting with receivers by throwing the ball too hard and/or too high, often leaving teammates such as star wideout Justin Jefferson frustrated.

McCarthy acknowledged after the game that those were throws he’s “got to make.”

“[Coaches] called great plays, but ... I know I can make those throws,” McCarthy said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “... I wouldn't say I felt sped up. It's just sometimes you hit them, sometimes you miss. And it's ... what preseason's all about. You get it out now and log that feeling, like I said, and make sure you hit it the next time.”

While McCarthy spent time this offseason working with a quarterbacks coach on his mechanics, he remains inconsistent and susceptible to still making those maddening overthrows. McCarthy was under significant duress during the game, but it does not excuse missing easy completions and touchdowns needed to competently play the position.

Reps are important for McCarthy—who still has played just 10 games as he’s dealt with a variety of injuries through his first two NFL seasons—but these were quite discouraging. O’Connell noted after the game that they wanted to play McCarthy some more in the game, but decided to take him out after he got “a little banged up.” O’Connell also did not really provide a specific answer when asked for an “overall assessment” of McCarthy’s day, though he seemingly noted it would have been good to capitalize on the opportunities in the red zone, especially after executing an explosive pass to Felton.

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell on J.J. McCarthy's day pic.twitter.com/vA4GGKzUz9
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 22, 2026

It might have only been a quarter of preseason action, but it’s not an overreaction to be concerned that the same mechanical flaws and inaccuracies that hurt the Vikings last season were on full display. Though Murray was already named the starter over McCarthy, O’Connell has recently said he still sees a future with him in the organization. At this point, McCarthy appears to be a long way off.

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