The Vikings are 3–4, sitting in last place in the NFC North. If they’re going to climb out of the division basement and into contention, it’ll be because of J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy, 22, has primarily been persona non grata for the Vikings since being drafted 10th in the 2024 NFL draft. He’s played in two of a possible 24 regular-season games. Last year, McCarthy’s absence wasn’t a problem. Minnesota went 14–3, Sam Darnold revived his career while throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, and the Vikings earned a wild-card berth.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, McCarthy’s injury has been a significant issue this season.
After losing 37–10 to the Chargers on Thursday night, the Vikings are reeling. They’ve lost three of their past four games, all with Carson Wentz under center. Wentz was brutal behind a beat-up offensive line that went without tackles Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw, and center Ryan Kelly for either all or most of the night. The backup quarterback was 15-of-27 for 144 yards with a touchdown and interception, this on the heels of having a QBR below 50 in each of his four previous starts while throwing four interceptions and taking 14 sacks over that stretch.
Without much offensive support, the defense is faltering as well. The Vikings surrendered 326 passing yards and three touchdowns to Jalen Hurts last Sunday. Four days later, Justin Herbert lit them up for 227 yards and another three scores. Entering Week 8, Minnesota ranked ninth in yards and 11th in points per game allowed, but those figures are trending in the wrong direction.
The good news? Minnesota is expecting to get McCarthy back for next week’s game against the Lions. But the Vikings now enter a stretch with a visit to Detroit, followed by hosting the Ravens and Bears, then road games against the Packers and Seahawks.
McCarthy needs to return from his high ankle sprain, which has sidelined him since Week 3, and play like a star. In two games, Michigan’s national champion threw for 301 yards, completing 58.5% of attempts with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Obviously, coach Kevin O’Connell needs his second-year signal-caller to be far better.
The Vikings will need McCarthy to throw quickly and accurately. Both were problems in his two appearances to start the season, when he was off-target on 24.4% of his throws and averaged 2.5 seconds per dropbacks. If McCarthy had enough statistics to qualify, those figures would rank second-worst and third-most among NFL quarterbacks in 2025.
For O’Connell, this season isn’t about job security. The Vikings could lose all of their remaining games and both he, his staff and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be safe. And they should be. This is about whether McCarthy looks like the future, or whether Minnesotans are going to spend much of a very cold winter wondering if their team will be searching for a quarterback once again in the coming year or two.
Why didn’t they retain Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones?
Of course, that’ll raise questions about why Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones weren’t retained, even though Minnesota attempted to do so, only to see them leave because McCarthy was clearly the long-term plan. Darnold was only given a one-year offer, as reported by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, obviously not enough to keep him from the Seahawks and their $100 million deal across three seasons.
As for the current edition of the team, hope remains. The Vikings may already have more losses than last year’s squad, but the playoffs remain a possibility. After all, it’s October. There’s time. But time runs out quickly in the NFL, an hourglass on fire. The Vikings have to get going, especially in the brutally tough NFC North.
Over the next four weeks, Minnesota will face all three of its divisional rivals, a chance to climb quickly. Or, if McCarthy and his mates aren’t up to the task, see the sand drain to the bottom along with their record.
The defense needs to improve. The offensive line needs to get healthier. The entire operation must be smoother.
Yet fair or not, the central cog in the turnaround must be McCarthy, who the Vikings need to become the player they envisioned on draft night. Now.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as J.J. McCarthy Is the Vikings’ Last Hope to Save Their Season.