J.J. McCarthy's growth and confidence matter more than draft position

The Vikings have hurt their draft positioning with their last two wins, but that's a small price to pay for getting this kind of progress out of their young quarterback.

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) leaves the field after a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The argument can be made that the Vikings might've been better off losing their last couple games and improving their positioning for the first round of next year's draft. They've been out of playoff contention for weeks and were mathematically eliminated on Sunday, so at this point, some would say wins are hurting their future more than aiding it.

But that line of thinking is flawed within the broader context of the Vikings' current situation. A huge reason why they've beaten the Commanders and Cowboys in consecutive weeks has been the much-improved play of their young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. In starts No. 7 and 8 of his NFL career, he completed 66 percent of his passes and piled up six total touchdowns with only one (somewhat fluky) turnover.

It must be noted that McCarthy has had this success against two of the worst defenses in the NFL. But this has been a meaningful, highly-encouraging two-week stretch of progress for the 22-year-old Michigan product. He's building real momentum, learning from past experiences, and gaining confidence as he goes. In terms of the future of the organization, that development from McCarthy is far more important and valuable than having a first-round pick that's a few slots higher.

"Just felt confident," head coach Kevin O'Connell said of McCarthy's play in Sunday night's win over the Cowboys. "Simply still doing his job. Throwing some checkdowns here or there, and then when the big plays were there, he made the plays for the most part. When you're making good decisions, you get your opps.

"He's got a ton of ability. It's just continuing to make sure, in this league, you have to have the ability to play each snap as its own and trust in the guys in the huddle, trust in your ability to just put the ball in play and good things will happen. I think he hopefully learned a lesson tonight of we can be explosive and have some opportunities as the game goes on by just continuing to throw completions."

Last week's win over Washington was the best performance of McCarthy's young career up to that point. This one may have been even more impressive, given the stage on which it occurred and the way he pushed the ball downfield. Five of his 15 completions were caught at least 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He missed a couple throws, but for the most part, he was accurate and decisive.

On dropbacks longer than 2.5 seconds, J.J. McCarthy completed 10 of 14 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, producing positive EPA for the first time in his career.

McCarthy's +17.3 EPA on those dropbacks were the 8th-most by any QB in a game this season.

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One element of this game that was particularly encouraging was how McCarthy bounced back from a less-than-ideal start. His first pass attempt of the night was tipped at the line of scrimmage by a blitzing defensive back. McCarthy tried to bat it down, but it ended up in the arms of Quinnen Williams for an interception.

"I'm sure there were some 'Oh, here we go again's, maybe in front of some TV sets," O'Connell said.

But McCarthy didn't blink. He shook it off and didn't let it snowball. He went on to complete 8 of his next 10 passes for 142 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score.

"Going through this whole year, gaining the perspective that those things are gonna happen," McCarthy said. "It's the National Football League. They're gonna make plays, there's gonna be tipped balls. You can't let that affect the next coming plays. Just being in those situations a lot in my past, it's a great way to just kind of be like 'Oh, been here before, just move on to the next play and focus on that.'"

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It's been well-documented that McCarthy's first six NFL starts were a statistical nightmare, even with a couple divisional road wins mixed in. He's been made into a meme and had his viability as a starting quarterback called into question. But what the last couple weeks have proven is that McCarthy hasn't been broken by the adversity. He's resilient, and he seems to have turned a corner because of it.

"I love what I do," he said. "Like, I love playing ball. I realize how blessed I am to be in this position. And most importantly, I love the people I do it with. It can get very loud and very noisy. And there's a lot of situations that I've gone through in my past to kind of minimize those things. And the number one thing that does that is just love what you're doing right in front of you, love who you're around, because that's what matters in the grand scheme of things.

"I love the journey. I love the ups and downs. I love the pain. I love the heartache. That's a part of growing, that's a part of life."

There are still three games left for McCarthy and the Vikings to play this season, but the last two have been a much-needed step in the right direction and a reminder of the talent he possesses. He's the first player in NFL history to have three games with multiple passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown within their first eight career starts. He's also now 4-4 as a starting QB, and he finished two of the losses while playing through an injury.

On Sunday night, McCarthy looked like the franchise quarterback the Vikings still believe he can be. And that makes their victory an absolute success, because his development and long-term outlook matter far more than a few spots of draft positioning.