HH. BREAKING: Vikings insider steps forward with a blunt, emotional message as J.J. McCarthy’s season spirals
The Minnesota Vikings traveling to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 is more like a nightmare than a sleepless night for a beleaguered fan base.
Longtime Vikings insider Mark Craig of the Star Tribune said it’s time for the fan base to “calm the heck down” despite 2024 top-10 pick and quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s horrendous start. Craig compared McCarthy’s first six games to that of many other more-prominent quarterbacks but not to minimize the grim nature of McCarthy’s early woes.
“It is, however, meant to somehow influence Vikings Nation and national media folks to CALM THE HECK DOWN! Just a whiff of something resembling a hint of patience would be a good start,” Craig wrote.
That said, McCarthy’s struggles and the Vikings’ recent quarterback decisions have the fan base stewing more than anything the Lambeau Field tailgaters cooked up before the Vikings’ 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers for Week 12. In lieu of McCarthy, Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer looks like the starter against a Seahawks team that boasts the quarterback, Sam Darnold, whom the Vikings let go after a 14-3 season in 2024.
It all leaves the Vikings fan base in greater buyer’s remorse than Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday shoppers combined. McCarthy’s numbers of 929 yards, six touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, and a 54.1% completion rate adds up to that level of disappointment for a fan base that went from years of big numbers from Kirk Cousins to Darnold’s big year to McCarthy’s early blunder in three years.
4 Quarterbacks Who Stumbled Big Out the Gate
Craig’s list of other highly-touted first-round quarterbacks stumbling is quite impressive, and the quarterback likely had their fan bases wanting to hit delete amid their initial buyer’s remorse. That includes Matthew Stafford, who is lighting things up for the Los Angeles Rams this season, and Peyton Manning who is in the Hall of Fame. Stafford had 12 interceptions in his first six games with the Detroit Lions, and Manning had 14 interceptions in his first six contests. Neither had more than six touchdown passes and all the other key numbers looked abysmal.
“We could go on,” Craig wrote. “We could mention how Drake Maye started 2-4 while completing 57.5% of his passes with New England last year. We could mention that Baker Mayfield started 1-5 while completing 58.7% of his passes with Cleveland in 2018.”
Maye is now leading the 10-2 Patriots with the best record in the league during his second year as a starter. Mayfield took the reins from Tom Brady in Tampa Bay three years ago, and the Buccaneers haven’t missed a beat.
“None of this is meant to say the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy will be the MVP front-runner when he’s 37, like Stafford. Or win five MVPs and stroll into the Hall of Fame, like Manning. Or start next season 10-2 while completing a league-best 71% of his passes on a team that sits atop its conference, like Maye is doing in Year 2 with New England,” Craig wrote. “McCarthy is 2-4. He’s a 54.1% passer. He has thrown six touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. His passer rating is 57.9.”
Mark Craig Calls Fan Base ‘Uber-Impatient’
Vikings fans’ disappointment over McCarthy isn’t atypical in the NFL, where instant success is expected year after year.
“So, to answer the ridiculous but predictably uber-impatient NFL question of the week, no, the Vikings shouldn’t move on from McCarthy,” Craig wrote. “Not now or next week if undrafted rookie Max Brosmer somehow helps upset Sam Darnold and the Seahawks.”
“Franchise-altering decisions were made with McCarthy as the focal point. More will follow,” Craig added. “Brosmer? Sorry, Max, but please. In this movie, your name comes at the end of the credits as ‘third quarterback to appear.’”
What Jayden Daniels’ injury means for Commanders vs. Broncos
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is still dealing with an elbow injury and won’t play in the team’s Week 13 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury spoke about Daniels’ potential return and how the quarterback can work towards getting back on the field this season.
“Yeah, he is wanting to be out there as soon as possible, there’s no doubt. But he also understands, you know, he’s got to get healthy and be a hundred percent so he can play his style and the way he wants to play. And so, I think we’ve done a nice job of working with him to do that. And as soon as he’s ready I’m sure he’ll be out there,” Kingsbury said.Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is helped off the field after an injury against the Seattle Seahawks | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Daniels out vs. Broncos
If Daniels wants to get back on the field, he will have to heal a little more before the Week 14 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Kingsbury spoke about how Daniels has to move in different ways to be safer on the field.
“Yeah, it’s a learned behavior, there’s no doubt. And in this league you to survive, there’s certain hits you have to try to avoid and you have to take some stuff off your body if you can, at that position. And so, I think that’s just the more he plays, the more comfortable he’ll get and being able to do that,” Kingsbury said.
“But he’s played a certain style his entire life. He’s been relatively healthy his entire life and football career. And so, I think it’s just a learned behavior. The more reps he gets, the more live game reps he gets, he’ll figure that out and know kind of when the party’s over and know where when to protect himself.”
For the upcoming game against the Broncos, backup Marcus Mariota will make his seventh start of the season in hopes of snapping the Commanders losing streak.
