Most Important Viking to Watch vs. Ravens in Preseason Week 2

The Vikings will continue their 2026 preseason when they play the Ravens in their second exhibition game on Saturday. It's a home game at U.S. Bank Stadium for head coach Kevin O'Connell & CO., and will feature many players trying to make a good impression on the coaching staff to keep themselves in the mix for the 53-man roster.

Some Vikings players have struggled during practice and the team's first preseason game, putting more pressure on them to perform in the upcoming exhibition contest against the Ravens. After a week of joint practices with the enemy, a solid performance could go a long way toward gaining trust with the team.

There isn't a Viking who could use a good game on Saturday more than third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. At one time, he was drafted to be Minnesota's next franchise quarterback. Now, he is simply fighting to hold on to the QB2 spot.

Every Vikings fan should watch J.J. McCarthy closely on Saturday

It wasn't surprising when the Vikings named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season. His experience and performance during practices made it an easy choice for O'Connell.

Kyler Murray (1) looks to pass the ball. — Even before the official announcement was made, all signs pointed to Kyler Murray as the Vikings' QB1. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The announcement that McCarthy would be Murray's backup this year was less than emphatic. O'Connell made it sound like there is still a chance that he could be unseated for that job by Carson Wentz and continue sliding down the depth chart.

The Vikings will get a long look at McCarthy in Week 2 of the preseason. The team announced that he is expected to start the game against the Ravens, and a majority of Minnesota's starters will sit out this game to get a better look at the team's depth.

McCarthy must prove that the work he has put in has been paying off. He doesn't need to look like a superstar against Baltimore, but he does need to look like a competent quarterback who can be trusted to enter a game if the team needs him in that role. The Ravens' defense played well against the Eagles last week, holding the latter's QB room to 83 passing yards and a touchdown on 13-of-25 passing.

Carson Wentz factor

Not only that, but Wentz looked solid against the Giants in the Vikings' first preseason game. He threw Minnesota's only passing TD on the day while also leading the QB room in completions (9), passing yards (81), yards per completion (5.8) and passer rating (103.6). There were even conversations among fans and the media about why Wentz should back up Murray this season instead of McCarthy.

In the end, McCarthy needs to have a better game than Wentz to make the team and its fans more comfortable about having him as the QB2 for the 2026 NFL season. If he can't do that on Saturday, there is no telling what will happen with the 23-year-old quarterback should he give the Vikings another reason to look the other way.

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