Is the right comp for McCarthy's early struggles across the border?

"Just take some deep breaths. Just trust this kid. He’s a great kid. He cares about it. He’s going to be around for a while and they’re going to get it fixed."

Those were the words of Aaron Rodgers in 2023 when asked about the struggles of then-first-year starter Jordan Love, who was coming off a three-interception performance in the Packers' 17-13 loss to the Raiders in Week 5. It was Love's fifth start since taking over the reins of the Green Bay offense after the organization parted ways with Rodgers. With media openly questioning the franchise's decision to thrust him into the starting role, to a league-low completion percentage, it was a tough time to be Jordan Love.

Sound familiar?

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is going through similar treatment just five starts into his NFL career. Though the situations have their differences, the pressure and expectations — and struggles — are quite similar for McCarthy and Love.

Compare what each did during their first five starts. Aside from a significant yardage difference, the two had remarkably similar starts to their career, right down to the fact they both had league-low completion percentages during that span.

Name	Record	Completion %	Passing yards	Yds/gm	TDs	Ints	Sacks
Jordan Love	2-3	55.6%	1,083	216.6	8	6	10
J.J. McCarthy	2-3	52.9%	842	168.4	6	8	15

Coming off a 19-17 loss to the Bears on Sunday in which, yet again, there were some glaringly bad throws by McCarthy, the analysts and social media armchair QBs have honed in on the Vikings QB's accuracy issues. Many have dissected his mechanics and fundamentals.

Love had a similar experience during his start, with CBS' Chris Trapasso noting Love's "foundational problem is major -- the absence of requisite accuracy." Trapasso went into Love's tendency to drift on his throws, which saw numerous passes wind up short of his receivers.

Trapasso ended his deep dive, noting, "For the time being, suggesting a quarterback needs to get more fundamentally sound throwing the football sounds overly simple. But it's the right place to start for Love that will help tip his currently downward-facing arrow toward the sky."

Fast forward a couple years and analysts are diving into McCarthy and saying similar things. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky recent broke down McCarthy's mechanics, and ended up noting that while the inaccuracy is concerning, there is enough to be hopeful about for McCarthy's future as long as the mechanics get fixed.

In the midst of Love's struggles, the Packers were heavily questioned about their decision to move on from Rodgers. Yahoo's Frank Schwab called the pick of Love, and eventually turning over the offense to him, a "fiasco." Schwab questioned the decision to take Love with a first round pick, despite Rodgers still being on the roster, then sitting Love for two years, and the less -than-smooth transition to the former Nevada product.

Love's early struggles only compounded the questions and doubts about the decision.

The Vikings are now going through similar with McCarthy. Several in the media have brought up their own doubts from the offseason about the Vikings' decision to move on from Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones — who are experiencing incredible success with Seattle and Indianapolis, respectively — to hand the offense over to McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with injury.

Notably, the patience the Packers showed ended up paying off. Love turned things around midway through his first season as a starter. Take a look at the comparison below of his first 8 starts of the 2023 season to his last 8 starts of that season.

Love in 2023	Recod	Completion %	Passing yards	Yds/gm	TDs	Ints	Sacks
First 8 starts	3-5	59.6%	1,720	215	12	8	18
Next 8 starts	6-3	68%	2,439	271	20	3	12

It was a remarkable jump for Love, one that gave the Packers belief that they did make the right decision after all. While patience isn't endless, it is warranted for a 22-year-old getting his first taste of the professional level.

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