J.J. McCarthy’s Accuracy Woes Place Vikings QB in Rare Territory

McCarthy has thrown eight interceptions through five starts, and his 52.9% completion rate puts him in rare company. As of November 17, the leaguewide average completion percentage is 64.9%.

Only Anthony Richardson — who completed 47.7% of his passes in 11 starts for the Indianapolis Colts last season — and former New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (54.5% in 2023) have finished with a completion percentage below 55% since the NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021.

McCarthy’s 5.7% interception percentage leads all quarterbacks. Only the Las Vegas Raiders’ Geno Smith (4.5%) and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (4.2%) have thrown interceptions on at least 4% of their attempts.

However, McCarthy completed 6 of 10 passes for 76 yards on a go-ahead, 85-yard drive late in the fourth quarter. Minnesota held a one-point lead with 50 seconds left, but allowed Williams to drive the Bears downfield and set up Cairo Santos’ game-winning 48-yard field goal.

Could the Minnesota Vikings Bench J.J. McCarthy?

Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell did not comment when asked Sunday if he’d considered benching McCarthy and inserting undrafted rookie Max Brosmer into the game. The 24-year-old Brosmer has completed 5 of 8 passes for 42 yards in three games.

Minnesota placed veteran backup Carson Wentz on injured reserve with a season-ending left shoulder injury in late October. John Wolford — who started four games with the Los Angeles Rams from 2020-22 — is on the Vikings’ practice squad.

There were no credible reports that the Vikings explored adding a veteran quarterback ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month. The Atlanta Falcons kept Kirk Cousins, who played for Minnesota from 2018-23, and the New York Giants held onto Russell Wilson.

As of publication, O’Connell has not hinted that the Vikings will sit McCarthy for next Sunday’s road showdown with the Green Bay Packers.