J.J. McCarthy Could Win by Keeping It Simple
The greatest knock on J.J. McCarthy, before he has even started a single regular season game in his professional career, is that he was the byproduct of his environment at Michigan. The Wolverines had an incredible stable of running backs, and all McCarthy needed to do was turn around and hand them the football.
The Minnesota Vikings have J.J. McCarthy locked under center, and it doesn’t matter how he gets the job done as long as he does.
Of course, that would overlook the fact that McCarthy was an incredibly talented high school player. He won at a substantial clip and came to Michigan as a top recruit. As a junior, McCarthy’s 72.3% completion rate led the Big Ten. He took a top-tier squad into tough environments and won. He left school with a National Championship ring.
The Vikings Should Lean on the Rushing Offense in 2025 with J.J. McCarthy at QB1
Maybe it’s not the worst thing if McCarthy turns around and hands the ball off. Kevin O’Connell is coaching him. The Vikings leader is a progressive head coach, and he’s not interested in a ground-and-pound offense. That doesn’t mean he can’t lean into the opportunities he has around him.
Aaron Jones is back for the Vikings. Sure, he’s a year older and unlikely to play all 17 games for the second consecutive season. If he’s going to accomplish that, though, it will be because Jordan Mason also exists and Minnesota spent time constructing a top tandem in the backfield. Both of those rushers can operate between the tackles, in space, and haul in passes with their hands.
Adding the Vikings’ running game, behind a revamped offensive line, into an offense that also employs the best wide receiver in football is an incredible come-up. McCarthy should feel like he has so many mouths to feed; the only reality he’ll need to wrestle with is which player when.
We have seen McCarthy’s arm talent on display for months now. It’s part of the reason that he was drafted so high in the first place. He’ll have no problem pushing the deep ball to Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison. He has the zip to sling it into tight corridors for Adam Thielen. There’s simply nothing on a football field that McCarthy can’t make happen with his arm.
If he’s going to hand the ball off, though, there’s no reason that the team around him can’t be successful in that style. The reality is that no team wants to be entirely one-dimensional over the course of a full season. Progressive or not, O’Connell won’t operate that way. Thankfully, with McCarthy, he won’t have to.
Also, despite their overhaul, Chicago owned the 27th-ranked defense in yards per game last season. Only four teams gave up more rushing yards. Ben Johnson might be a great offensive mind, but he’s not fixing that out of the gate. Let McCarthy and the Vikings run wild if it results in an early victory.
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