Are Vikings preparing to sit J.J. McCarthy for Week 7 game vs. Eagles?

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has repeatedly touched upon "lower-body mechanics" while speaking about what second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy would need to improve after McCarthy recovered from the high right ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2. 

On Monday, O'Connell once again referenced the subject while declining to confirm that McCarthy will start when the 3-2 Vikings host the Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) this coming Sunday.  

Do Vikings feel J.J. McCarthy must improve "throwing mechanics?"

"It’s the foundation of throwing mechanics from the ground up that he’s really taken to since he got here," O'Connell said about McCarthy, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. "Just the consistency of it."

Outside of one quarter of play against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, McCarthy mostly performed like a below-average quarterback before he was sidelined with his latest setback. ESPN stats show he'd enter Week 7 ranked last in the league with a 22.5 adjusted QBR if he had enough pass attempts to be among qualified players. In total, he completed 24-of-41 passes (58.5 percent) for 301 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions over his two games. 

Meanwhile, backup Carson Wentz won two of three starts before he picked up an injury to his non-throwing shoulder ahead of the Vikings' Week 6 bye. O'Connell indicated that Wentz could be good to go for the Philadelphia game if the Vikings choose to sit McCarthy for at least one more week. 

Kevin O'Connell "not ready" to name QB1 for Eagles game

"I think we've got to prepare to try to win a game on Sunday," O'Connell added, as shared by ESPN's Kevin Seifert. "We really want to get our team ready to go, and in the process of doing that, J.J. has his plan of attack that we want to try to make sure we maximize every single day, and prepare all of our guys to be ready to go, and make the best decision for our team and then also for individually for each one of those guys as we get closer to it. But not ready to say yet exactly where he'll be at towards the end of the week. Want to see how this week plays out first."

If Wentz starts against and beats a Philadelphia side that may be in turmoil this fall, he could keep McCarthy sidelined for the foreseeable future. As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had the Vikings as 1.5-point home underdogs against the Eagles.