McCarthy's Preseason Outing

J.J. McCarthy started Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens and played the full first quarter, finishing 5-of-10 for 81 yards in the Vikings' 13-3 loss. The performance was marred by several inaccurate throws, including two misses to wide receiver Myles Price.

On the first snap of the game, McCarthy missed Price on the sideline. Later, he missed Price on a short throw at the front of the end zone—a miss that Sports Illustrated described as coming on fourth down with Price wide open, 'an easy touchdown.' The outlet noted the incompletion was reminiscent of last season's issues, when McCarthy finished first in off-target rate and 32nd out of 33 in bad throw rate, per Pro Football Reference.

McCarthy did have a 50-yard completion to Tai Felton, which Sports Illustrated called 'easily his best play of the game.' He was sacked once and hit multiple times, and the Ravens broadcast indicated he was 'wincing' on the sidelines after his final drive.

Injury Update

McCarthy left the game earlier than head coach Kevin O'Connell had planned. Team doctors examined him, and he was visibly wincing. O'Connell said McCarthy got 'a little banged up' and was taken out.

McCarthy himself downplayed the injury, telling reporters: 'Little banged up, but yeah, I'm healthy. I'm ready to go.'

His health has been a recurring theme. McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign due to knee surgery, and he sat out seven games in 2025 due to a high-ankle sprain, a concussion, and a hairline fracture in his throwing hand. Overall, he has played just 10 games in his first two NFL seasons due to injuries, per Sports Illustrated.

Quarterback Competition

McCarthy entered the preseason as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kyler Murray, who was named the starter before the preseason began. However, Carson Wentz is making a case to leapfrog McCarthy.

Wentz entered Saturday's game in the second quarter and completed 9-of-11 passes for 92 yards. Heavy. noted that Wentz 'outplayed' McCarthy in a second straight game, with Wentz having a higher completion percentage and better touchdown-to-interception ratio across his five starts last season compared to McCarthy's 10 starts.

One highlight came when Wentz connected with Jeshaun Jones on a deep pass from Minnesota's 20-yard line to near Baltimore's 44 for a 36-yard gain. Yardbarker described the throw as 'a big-time throw' and praised Jones's contested catch over Ravens safety Keondre Jackson.

Coach Kevin O'Connell has left the door open for Wentz to potentially surpass McCarthy. He told reporters he wants quarterbacks 'feeling like they're competing,' per Heavy. O'Connell also recently said he still sees a future with McCarthy in the organization.

McCarthy, for his part, spent the offseason working with a quarterbacks coach on his mechanics, but Sports Illustrated noted he remains inconsistent and 'more than susceptible to still making those maddening overthrows.'

Perspectives

  • Kevin O'Connell (Vikings head coach): Emphasized competition and expressed continued belief in McCarthy's future with the team.