Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy didn’t look sharp in his team’s preseason game on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.
McCarthy was 5-of-10 passing for 81 yards and was sacked once for the loss of six yards. He was not on target with some of his passes, especially on a fourth-down play at the Ravens’ goal line.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Hears About Play From Analysts
Carson Wentz came into the game in the second quarter, ending McCarthy’s day. But that didn’t keep NFL analysts from roasting the third-year quarterback for his effort.
Pro Football Network fantasy football analyst Jason Katz was rather pointed in where McCarthy would not even play. Katz wrote on X, “J.J. McCarthy wouldn’t start for the Birmingham Stallions.”
JJ McCarthy wouldn’t start for the Birmingham Stallions
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) August 22, 2026
Kyle Soppe, fantasy/betting analyst for PFN, offered a perspective on McCarthy’s play as it is connected to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
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Soppe wrote, “Managers looking at Justin Jefferson’s #FantasyFootball numbers from last season,” while sharing a GIF or IShowSpeed with the text “makes sense,” indicating McCarthy’s play today showed why Jefferson struggled last season.
Managers looking at Justin Jefferson’s #FantasyFootball numbers from last season … https://t.co/912AOkFLwy pic.twitter.com/9KWemFWF4j
— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) August 22, 2026
PFN NFL Draft analyst Ian Cummings looked at McCarthy’s initial drive down the field on Saturday and just couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Cummings posted online, “Tough end to J.J. McCarthy’s first drive this week: Has the EZ out immediately off the switch release, but DE does a great job clogging the passing lane. J.J. puts a lil too much on it to compensate. Stringing together positive reps is a struggle for him rn (right now).”
Tough end to JJ McCarthy’s first drive this week:
Has the EZ out immediately off the switch release, but DE does a great job clogging the passing lane.
JJ puts a lil too much on it to compensate. Stringing together positive reps is a struggle for him rn. pic.twitter.com/pYJzzUJPhz
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) August 22, 2026
Jacob Infante, Director of Media Partnerships for PFN, thinks that McCarthy could use a new NFL address at this point. Infante also brings up Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell in his comments, too.
Infante wrote, “It feels weird to say about a QB in a KOC offense, but I really think a change of scenery would be best for JJ… Getting benched as a QB isn’t an easy thing to overcome mentally. It could be better for him to start fresh somewhere else.”
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PFN’s account on X took a jab at what McCarthy did when he was close to the end zone. The outlet posted this on Saturday: “J.J. McCarthy threw a bomb, then proceeded to miss two throws in the red zone. The Vikings QB posted a -4.9% completion rate over expected last season. He ranked 34th out of 38 qualified players in PFN’s QB Impact Metric in 2025.”
J.J. McCarthy threw a bomb, then proceeded to miss two throws in the red zone. 🥴
The Vikings QB posted a -4.9% completion rate over expected last season.
He ranked 34th out of 38 qualified players in PFN’s QB Impact metric in 2025. pic.twitter.com/dA66gmoRL0
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 22, 2026
PFN’s Brandon Austin shared a GIF to help him to explain what he thought of McCarthy’s paly against the Ravens. His post read, “J.J. McCarthy after one big play.”
The GIF was of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony’s viral pump fake, indicating how McCarthy showed flashes of brilliance but couldn’t finish off well to register a good overall performance.
J.J. McCarthy after one big play pic.twitter.com/IPXYIvfeYQ
— Brandon Austin (@BrandonMAustin) August 22, 2026
All eyes are now on McCarthy to see if he can show improvement across the board while serving as Kyler Murray’s backup in the upcoming season.
