Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy gets sacked by Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Minnesota Vikings went into Sunday night’s game with the hope of having another elite season. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell were banking on an untested quarterback in J.J. McCarthy being able to pick up where Sam Darnold left off last season.
The Vikings learned Sunday night that they are not close to the team they were a year ago. McCarthy is no different than nearly all rookie quarterbacks. He has to learn what it takes to win consistently in the NFL. He has to learn how to read defenses that attack and how to defeat them.
McCarthy got obliterated Sunday night as the Vikings lost to the Atlanta Falcons by a 22-6 margin in their home opener. The numbers say he completed 11 of 21 passes for 168 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and one lost fumble. He was sacked six times by a team that struggles to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
McCarthy was unable to figure out how to read what the Falcons were planning. He played similarly to the way he competed in the Week One Monday night victory over the Bears. The former Michigan quarterback earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week because he torched the Chicago defense with two TD passes and another touchdown run in the fourth quarter. However, he had struggled badly for three quarters – and that’s the part that was similar to what the sellout crowd and the national TV audience saw against the Falcons.
Offensive line woes help Falcons cause havoc
There were other issues leading to the problems that McCarthy faced, including injuries to backup left tackle Justin Skule and center Ryan Kelly. Since McCarthy didn’t have his two key members of his offensive line, he was unable to make adjustments or count on the solid blocking that the Vikings thought he would receive as he steps into the violent NFL world.
McCarthy will surely learn from his situation, perhaps as soon as next week when the Cincinnati Bengals come calling without injured quarterback Joe Burrow, but there will be more hard lessons along the way.
The Vikings face a four-game test in midseason that includes the Super Bowl champion Eagles, the improved Chargers, the powerful Lions and the Ravens. At this point, all of those games look like losses and it’s unlikely any more than one of them will be close – unless the Brian Flores defense takes over and the injured offensive line suddenly gets healthy.
McCarthy has to figure out a new strategy. Prior to the first two weeks of the season, they wanted to employ a power running game with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason to take the heat off the young quarterback.
That was a long shot to begin with and that strategy won’t work without a strong and powerful offensive line. O’Connell knows the Vikings can’t operate the way they have in the first two weeks of the season if they hope to be competitive this year.
“We’ve got to find a way to stay on the field longer, because it’s an important part of how we need to play as a team, especially against a team like that,” O’Connell said after the game.
The strategy needs to change right away. O’Connell earned Coach of the Year honors because he took an underachieving Darnold a year ago and turned him into a Pro Bowl performer who led the Vikings to 14 regular-season wins.
He has to figure out something that will let the 22-year-old McCarthy thrive under the circumstances. O’Connell believes in McCarthy and he believes in himself. He should be successful at some point. However, that needs to be sooner rather than later or this season of hope will go up in smoke.
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