Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has faced numerous challenges this season. The second-year player believes he can make improvements to turn things around.
J.J. McCarthy Addresses Struggles
LIVE: Head Coach Kevin O’Connell talks to the media https://t.co/tQ4OjkXMXe
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 19, 2025
Since returning from an ankle injury, McCarthy has been rather erratic. In Week 11’s loss to the Chicago Bears, McCarthy finished 16 of 32 for 150 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
In five starts, McCarthy has a completion percentage of 52.9, which is last among the 48 quarterbacks in the NFL with at least one start (via ESPN).
Does McCarthy believe he can turn things around? Yes, and he used an analogy to explain why.
“I kind of make the analogy of just a cork about to come off a bottle,” McCarthy said on Wednesday via ESPN. “Just understanding that it’s one to three little things that I need to change about my game that is going to make a huge difference in the outcome of every single drive in the game. So yeah, I feel like it’s really close, but it all comes down to the consistency of the fundamentals.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell believes McCarthy’s problems stem from his post-snap work, specifically the relationship between his feet and eyes.
“We just have to find that when it comes to the post-snap,” O’Connell said. “And sometimes it’s not even reads and progressions, it’s simply just the fundamental foundation that we need to start seeing the concrete kind of dry a little bit on the work that’s put in.”
Keep in mind that McCarthy missed all of 2024 with a knee injury, so 2025 is his rookie season on the field. McCarthy has only played in five of 10 games this season due to a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for over a month.
McCarthy has thrown for 842 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions in five games. The Vikings are 2-3 in McCarthy’s starts.
Vikings Looking to Turn Season Around
J.J. McCarthy touches on how he’s learning to play QB in a different way than he was taught before: pic.twitter.com/XcH4ktZJm3
— cdott (@jjmccaurathy) November 19, 2025
At 4-6, the Vikings are in a precarious situation.
Minnesota is last in the NFC North and 11th in the NFC. That’s a far cry from a year ago, when they were one game away from securing the No. 1 seed before ending the season at 14-3.
Minnesota will have to run the table if it wants to keep its postseason hopes alive. 11-6 or 10-7 is the likely record of the No. 7 seed in the NFC.
The Vikings have two games against the Green Bay Packers, including Sunday, and one game against the Detroit Lions. Sweep those games, and the Vikings have a shot at the postseason. Lose at least one, and it’s a long shot to play in January.
