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The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2025 season believing they were ready to build around a young franchise quarterback. Instead, they’ve found themselves staring at one of the most difficult questions an NFL team can face. What happens when the upstart QB you invested in looks completely overwhelmed? JJ McCarthy’s rocky first season as an NFL starter has left fans frustrated and the coaching staff scrambling for answers. At 4–7, Minnesota’s playoff hopes are fading. The struggles of their young quarterback are at the center of it all.
The Vikings’ 2025 campaign has been disheartening and chaotic. After their Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota now sits at 4–7. Much of the frustration centers around McCarthy, who took over as the full-time starter this year. Sure, expectations were high, especially after the team moved on from Sam Darnold. The results, though, have been tough to swallow.
Across his first six starts, McCarthy has completed only 54.1 percent of his passes. He has thrown six touchdowns and tossed 10 interceptions. His 57.9 passer rating ranks among the worst in the league. His accuracy issues have been jarringly persistent. Despite having elite weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the offense has repeatedly stalled. Missed reads, late throws, and poor decisions have made this unit one of the NFL’s most stagnant groups.
Week 12 against the Packers felt like a new low. McCarthy finished 12-of-19 for 87 yards. He threw two picks and lost a fumble (which he recovered). The Vikings mustered just six points after 60 minutes. It was his fifth straight game under 65 percent completions and his third consecutive multi-interception outing. McCarthy also had his first game of the season with fewer than 100 passing yards. With Carson Wentz on injured reserve and no viable alternative, Minnesota has no choice but to keep playing McCarthy. That’s even as his confidence appears shaken and his mechanics increasingly erratic.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss why McCarthy looks like one of the worst QBs in the NFL and if it’s too early to give up on him.
Even inside the locker room, the frustration is palpable. Star wideout Justin Jefferson, emotionally drained after the Week 12 loss, said:
“It’s frustrating to be up here and say the same things every single week,” he said.
McCarthy echoed that sentiment with painful honesty:
“I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to do a lot of things better.”
The numbers paint an ugly picture. As of this writing, out of 71 quarterbacks who have started at least six games over the past decade, McCarthy ranks:
He has also done it with an offense featuring three first-round picks on the line and Jefferson, Addison, and TJ. Hockenson as weapons.
