ESPN Says Vikings Have a Cannibal Situation
The Minnesota Vikings wanted it this way, opting to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025 while developing a first-time starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, in real-time. Now, the plan hasn’t worked to the tune of a winning record, and ESPN is calling it a “cannibal” ordeal.
ESPN says the Vikings are stuck in a “cannibal” situation, trying to develop a young quarterback while also pushing for a playoff spot in real time.
That’s where Minnesota is at in 2025, hoping to stave off mathematical playoff elimination by Thanksgiving and to learn if McCarthy is the franchise quarterback beyond the current campaign.
ESPN on Vikings: Cannibalization
A brutal assessment, rest assured.
ESPN Turns to the C-Word to Describe Vikings
Sizing up the state of play in Minnesota and analyzing how McCarthy’s raw skill set prevents Minnesota from winning right now, Kevin Seifert invoked the cannibalization argument.
“The Vikings entered the season hoping to compete for a deep playoff run while developing McCarthy in real time. It’s now possible that those goals will cannibalize each other. Their postseason outlook is bleak and McCarthy has shown few signs of progress over five starts. Seven games remain to salvage one or the other — but not both,” he wrote.
“McCarthy’s season-long streaks of inaccuracy intensified Sunday, coinciding with a bruised right hand sustained in Week 10 that required him to wear protective padding. As the fourth quarter began, he had completed 10 of 22 passes for 74 yards and two interceptions.”
McCarthy ranks dead last in the NFL per EPA+CPOE, an efficiency metric that measures the wins added by a specific player.
Seifert added, “His rate of off-target throws was an astronomical 32% at that point. He had sprayed passes over Jefferson’s head, at the feet of fellow receiver Jordan Addison and ahead of tight end T.J. Hockenson. His frenetic pocket movement, ball velocity and timing issues might also have contributed to a series of drops, including two by Addison.”
And There’s One Main Culprit: The Quarterback
ESPN’s cannibal argument is really a slanted jab at one man: J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy somehow has the hard part figured out — turning into a cold-blooded killer with the game on the line but then struggling everywhere else. He’s completing just over 50% of passes, also known as a one-way ticket out of the league.
Minnesota’s season could be afloat with average quarterback play, but McCarthy’s development is hindering the process.
The saving grace? Minnesota isn’t the first team in history to struggle while a 22-year-old quarterback learns the ropes. Sometimes, this is a necessary evil.
One Win Streak to End the Cannibalism
There is one way to end the cannibal situation: win.
Kevin O’Connell has constructed at least one win streak of five games or more in each season as head coach, and so far in 2025, Minnesota can’t even string together two wins in a row.
There’s always a possibility, albeit slim, that McCarthy shows up on Sunday or the one after and balls out. If his efficiency became average, Minnesota would have a puncher’s chance to win any game.
A sudden win streak in the next seven games would end the cannibal narrative created by ESPN. It’s the only way.
A Murky 2026 Outlook
Suppose McCarthy does not improve and that he just stinks.
Minnesota will have a doozy on its hands, deciding the franchise’s next steps in the offseason. If McCarthy played like utter rubbish in the next seven games, there’s just no way the team could embark on 2026 with him as the sole QB1 option. The front office would have to explore a trade for someone like Kyler Murray, sign a free agent like Gardner Minshew, or just draft another rookie.
The only way the 2026 offseason won’t entail gigantic question marks is a rapid uptick by McCarthy.
More from ESPN
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on the McCarthy outlook: “The accuracy is a concern. There’s no hiding from that. Balls are sailing, and that affects the entire offense. McCarthy needs to hit the layups. The Vikings will be working to help him find more consistency as a thrower. From a developmental standpoint, the team still believes in his work ethic and skill set — he’s made of the right stuff, as coach Kevin O’Connell said Monday.”
“Minnesota really has no choice but to work through this and help McCarthy manage the growing pains. Carson Wentz underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and Max Brosmer has potential but is an undrafted free agent. Perhaps Brosmer would get a shot if McCarthy were a middle-round pick, but I just don’t see that happening in the short term.”
Dan Graziano from the same network: “I think that’s a big part of the concern the Vikings have — keeping everything together around McCarthy as he endures the growing pains. I don’t believe they’ve seriously considered going to Brosmer, who as you mentioned probably needs even more seasoning than McCarthy. The Wentz injury has really deprived them of any serious alternative even if they wanted to sit McCarthy to let him catch his breath.”
“And I agree that Minnesota still does believe in him, and it points to his fourth-quarter efforts in the games against the Bears as proof that he has the right kind of stuff in him. But he’s obviously missing too many throws and by way too much. A scout with another team told me this week that McCarthy’s throwing at only one speed — all fastballs — and attributed that to trying to be the hero in a situation where he knows his team is counting on him to help it win.”
The cannibalized Vikings face the Packers at Lambeau Field in two days and are expected to lose by a touchdown.
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