The Minnesota Vikings are looking for J.J. McCarthy to build on his strong return against the Detroit Lions. His stat line was fairly modest, completing 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards, three touchdowns (one rushing), and an interception. But his ability to extend and score on drives on 3rd-and-long showed that he has the ability to rise to the occasion.

Can he translate that clutch play into more consistent play-to-play efficiency? McCarthy has yet to eclipse 200 yards passing in any of his three starts this year. If he can get his playmakers more involved, the Vikings can pull off another upset against the Baltimore Ravens, who are currently 4-point favorites.

Here are the keys to the Vikings’ offense in Week 10’s matchup against the Ravens.

Get the ball out of McCarthy’s hands quicker

McCarthy is getting the ball out of his hands in 3.12 seconds this season, the third-highest rate among quarterbacks with 60 or more attempts, per Next Gen Stats. He’s found success when getting rid of the ball in under 2.5 seconds, completing 11 of 14 passes for 98 yards, one touchdown, and one interception (89.9 rating).

However, the second-year quarterback has run into trouble when he holds onto the ball longer than 2.5 seconds. On such passes, he has completed 27 of 52 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions (68.3 rating).

Fortunately, the Ravens have struggled against the pass in 2024. They rank 24th in EPA allowed per pass (+0.06) and have the third-worst pressure rate in the league (26.1%). Minnesota gets to play in the comfort at U.S. Bank Stadium, too, helping communication at the line and allowing the Vikings to better adjust to pre-snap looks.

Run the ball

The Ravens haven’t allowed over 100 yards rushing in any of their past three games, but they are still tied for the 5th-worst EPA allowed per rush in the league. Two of those three opponents were the Rams (21st in EPA per run) and the Dolphins (tied for 24th in EPA per run and a dumpster fire organization).

To be fair, the Kevin O’Connell Vikings don’t invoke many memories of the Adrian Peterson era. They are tied for the 5th-worst EPA per run in the league. However, injuries along the offensive line have hindered much of the team’s production.

With McCarthy back in the lineup, the Vikings will almost be forced to stick to some semblance of a running game. The Vikings had their most efficient rushing performance of the season against the Lions, generating plus-0.20 per run. In fact, three of the Vikings’ wins have been in the team’s three games where they avoided negative EPA per rush.

Get Justin Jefferson involved

It feels like it’s been a quiet season for Justin Jefferson. He’s only eclipsed 100 yards in two games this season and has only scored twice. But his 649 receiving yards still rank 5th in the league.

If McCarthy is going to take another step, he has to get Jefferson involved. That doesn’t mean force-feeding the star receiver, because the offense still has Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. But the offense is built around Jefferson, and even though there will be games where he is less productive than others, he needs to be given opportunities to take games over. His two 100-yard performances came with Carson Wentz under center.