JJ McCarthy admits adjusting to NFL has been ‘really hard’

The Minnesota Vikings fell to 4-6 on the season with Week 11’s loss to the Chicago Bears. Minnesota has dropped four of its last five games and the team is 1-2 since J.J. McCarthy returned from a high ankle sprain in Week 9.

There’s growing concern around McCarthy’s performance in his first season as a starter. The 22-year-old QB struggled against the Bears last Sunday, completing just 50 percent of his passes and tossing two more interceptions. He’s posted a 52.9 completion percentage and thrown eight picks against six touchdowns in a rocky transition to the pros.

“Coming in here, I was taught how to play quarterback a very different way,” McCarthy said, per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. The former first-round pick acknowledged that the adjustment has been difficult. “It’s really hard. You’re rewiring neurological pathways, and that’s not something that happens overnight,” McCarthy explained.

J.J. McCarthy is a work in progress for the Vikings

The Vikings are coming off an unexpectedly stellar season in 2024. With McCarthy sidelined by a knee injury, Minnesota turned to Sam Darnold. The veteran passer helped lead the team to a 14-3 record and a playoff appearance.

Darnold moved on in free agency, settling with the Seattle Seahawks, as McCarthy assumed starting duties. However, the Vikings have regressed under the second-year signal caller. Minnesota had the sixth-ranked passing offense in football last season. They’re 23rd in the league through 10 games in 2025, averaging just 193 passing yards per game.

Justin Jefferson was visibly frustrated with McCarthy’s accuracy issues in the Vikings’ Week 11 loss. Still, the team has stuck together despite sitting in last place in the division, on the outside looking in at the playoff race.

While the growing pains have been worrisome, McCarthy believes he’s approaching a turning point. “I feel like, for me, I kinda made the analogy of a cork about to come off a bottle,” he said, via Lewis.

“Just understanding that it’s one to three little things that I need to change about my game that is going to make a huge difference in the outcome of every single drive in the game. I feel like it’s really close, but it all comes down to the consistency of the fundamentals and the little details.”

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