Vikings' J.J. McCarthy gets brutal assessment after preseason dud

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vikings' J.J. McCarthy gets brutal assessment after preseason dud

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Aug 22, 2026 4:56 PM ET

As expected, the Minnesota Vikings have already made up their minds regarding the starting quarterback situation.

Now, after Kyler Murray got the nod, J.J. McCarthy isn't doing much to prove that he can be his backup.

The former first-round pick played one quarter in the Vikings' 3-13 preseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and it was an ugly watch.

McCarthy completed five of 10 passes for81 yards and failed to score on 4th-and-1. According to Vikings insider Alec Lewis, he never stood a chance against the Ravens defense.

The Vikings may have to demote J.J. McCarthy

"J.J. McCarthy is getting absolutely obliterated back there. Not easy to watch. Trainers just came over to him on the sideline after that third down attempt to Myles Price," Lewis shared on X.

J.J. McCarthy is getting absolutely obliterated back there. Not easy to watch. Trainers just came over to him on the sideline after that third down attempt to Myles Price.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) August 22, 2026

While he played behind the second-team offensive line, McCarthy's decision-making and pocket presence were all over the place.

He had a chance to put up points on the scoreboard, yet he lacked the touch to deliver:

“Holy cow. JJ McCarthy misses a wide-open Myles Price on a 4th-and-1. Just way too high and hot,” Lewis wrote. “Same on the Tai Felton two plays earlier.”

Holy cow. J.J. McCarthy misses a wide-open Myles Price on 4th-and-1. Just way too high and hot. Same on the Tai Felton two plays earlier.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) August 22, 2026

JJ McCarthy misses Myles Price WIDE OPEN in the end zone. pic.twitter.com/Ix8VJrEPTe
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 22, 2026

McCarthy was a mixed bag during his rookie season, and he also struggled to stay on the field.

To add insult to injury, the Vikings also have a proven veteran in Carson Wentz looking to claim the QB2 job, and while he didn't lead any touchdown drives on Saturday, he looked much more poised and in control of the offense.

The Vikings are a Super Bowl contender, and as such, they may have no choice but to pull the plug on their McCarthy experiment, even as QB2.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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