Well, that games was depressing. Way too many mistakes but still had a chance to tie it up at the end. That is actually incredible. There is a lot of discussion about which players and coaches were most responsible. Obviously, the top two are KOC and JJ McCarthy because the QB controls the offense. The issue with JJ which I did not think was going to be an issue is his off target passes and completion percentage. His on target percentage (as shown below from a link) is a miserable 38.7%. That simply has to improve. The turnovers and dropped passes do not matter. There were way too many passes not anywhere near the receivers. That should be the main thing they try to fix. In college he completed 67.6% of his passes and 72.3% in his final season. It does not make sense for him to be this off target. I believe it will come in time because there is no other choice besides Max Brosmer.

Before you get yourselves too worked up (likely too late), I have said and maintain that the team needs at least two years of starts from JJ before making a decision. We have another 30 starts to go before that happens. This QB journey is as it should be. We have done it before with Culpepper and Ponder and some others in the last century.

I still have not given up hope on the playoffs but they are getting close to being eliminated from the playoffs. This week’s game vs the Bears at home is a must win! Period.

Still no news on Asante Samuel Jr. He is meeting with the Bears today. The other teams he met with are the Steelers, Panthers, Packers, & 49ers. I am not sure how he feels about cold weather but the last outdoor game during the regular season for the Vikings is Dec 21st vs the Giants. Playing in a dome may have some appeal. Also, looking at the depth chart could give him some confidence. The Vikings could sign him for the rest of this year and next year if they wanted. It all depends on how the team feels about his recovery from spinal surgery.

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Vikings’ eight false starts spark claim that Ravens used illegal signals; John Harbaugh shuts down accusation
Vikings running back Aaron Jones suggested there was something more nefarious at play than lapses in focus from his teammates.

Jones said the Ravens’ defense made calls and movements at the line of scrimmage designed to draw the Vikings into pre-snap penalties. He said they were also “playing a little game there” with snap counts.

“They’re making move calls up front, so sometimes it sounds like it could be J.J. (McCarthy) saying ‘hut,’” Jones said after the loss. “They’re making move calls and you see them stem. So they’re trying to get them to jump, as well.”

Jones, notably, was the only Vikings player to allege that the Ravens’ defense was at least partially to blame for the infractions. Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell pushed back on the claim and directed the blame toward his offense.
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“One of the players said that,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “I read five other players and the head coach said, ‘no.’ But it did catch my attention, yes. So I went back and I watched it. We didn’t have a game plan for that. If we did, I would have been happy. But we’re not going to do anything illegal. If you stem, you make a move call. You’re allowed to say ‘move.’ You’re not allowed to say ‘set’ or ‘hut’ or anything else or a cadence, which we never have done.

“But then I watched all of them, and none of them did we stem. Not one did we move. … They were doing a lot of on-two, trying to draw us offsides. And then they were doing some shifts where they could uncover man/zone and try to see what we were in. They jumped a few times when they were doing that to try to get to their alerts and their change of plays. So, like Coach O’Connell said, it wasn’t anything we were doing.”

J.J. McCarthy Says Ravens’ Defense ‘Threw the Kitchen Sink’ at Vikings
QB J.J. McCarthy
On the Ravens batting down passes at the line of scrimmage: “It’s just absolutely killer. It’s a credit to them up front. You know, they played a tremendous game. They had a tremendous game plan, threw the kitchen sink at us in terms of coverage, pressures, new looks. But yeah, it’s the little things like that. I think it’s the worst play in football, a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage.”

On his interception to Marlon Humphrey: “[Cover 0 defense], 1-on-1, and I have the greatest receiver in the world. So, I don’t care who it is out there, I’m going to give him a chance. And I didn’t see him fall. It’s just one of those things where he catches it and it’s great; he doesn’t, it’s an incomplete, or it’s an interception. There’s different things where it can lead to that outcome. But 10 times out of 10, I’m gonna give him a shot.”

Long-Time NFL Analyst Calls for QB Competition for Vikings Amid JJ McCarthy’s Struggles
Some believe the Vikings have no choice but to make a quarterback change, or at least create a competition, including Mike Florio, who stated that they need to sign someone this offseason and not guarantee McCarthy the starting job.

“Vikings need a quarterback competition,” Florio said on “Pro Football Talk.” “I think they need to sign somebody in the offseason, not as the ‘you’re going to be the starter and J.J.’s out.‘ I think they need to make him earn it against someone. They need him in day-to-day competition to push him toward his ceiling. And whatever his ceiling is, it is what it is.

“Right now, I am concerned the ceiling isn’t where it needs to be because we can’t have one week where it all clicks. It’s not like he’s ever going to be a gunslinger. He’s never going to be Matthew Stafford. It’s going to be about what he can do at the right time—make the right play in the right spot. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t.”

Vikings might have a J.J. McCarthy problem
The sample size is small.

That means anything that J.J. McCarthy has done so far for the Minnesota Vikings isn’t set in stone. The second-year quarterback can still push his career in a positive direction.

But there have also been some early reasons to worry.

ESPN’s Ben Solak laid that out in a new article on Tuesday:

“He simply has not played enough football. The product so far is worrisome — high sack rate, high interception rate and a lengthy time to throw are all indicators of a young passer overwhelmed by NFL speed. Of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 class, none has had a stretch as statistically poor or as visibly concerning as McCarthy’s 2025 season. But we will tread water on McCarthy for now.”

It’s quite amazing that McCarthy went 12th and was already the sixth quarterback taken in 2024.

Ahead of J.J. were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix.

Solak wrote at length about why Penix and Nix, with larger samples, were concerning at this stage, too.

McCarthy gets grouped in because he’s looked a lot closer to them than to the three guys at the front.

“It seemed then and still seems in hindsight that the gravity of the top tier yanked the second tier much further up the draft board than it belonged,” Solak writes. “The sheer weight of talent shared by Williams, Daniels and Maye anchored quarterback-needy teams in the 2024 draft that so desperately wanted a piece of the action but couldn’t trade their way into range. In their frustration, they coped by conjuring value in QB4, QB5 and QB6 that never existed previously.”

Justin Jefferson Makes Feelings Clear on JJ McCarthy After Vikings-Ravens
Asked after the game how he handles the ups and downs that are common when playing with young quarterbacks, Jefferson made his feelings known that he’s focused on moving forward with McCarthy.

“Just going back to work,” Jefferson said. “Of course, giving him that motivation and giving those words to keep going keep fighting, not let the bad plays affect him. It falls on us as a whole offense.”

Vikings Star Issues Strong Message About Bears’ Ben Johnson
“He’s been doing this for a long time,” Van Ginkel told reporters on November 10. “A great mind, great football coach, and we had our struggles with him when he was in Detroit; he just finds ways to attack you in a different style that you might not have seen.

“He gets his playmakers the ball in space, is very good at coaching the quarterback position, and just seeing the growth that Caleb Williams has had, it’s evident that Ben Johnson plays a role in that.”

Vikings’ Defense Warned About Caleb Williams’
While Minnesota’s defense is familiar with what Chicago brings, former NFL coach Dave Wannstedt has offered a warning ahead of their November 16 matchup against the Bears.

“The last two minutes of the game, I’ll tell you what, the first thought that comes to my mind is Caleb Williams almost performs better when he’s under pressure than when he’s in the flow of the game, if that makes sense,” Wannstedt said on November 9 on Marquee Sports Network. “You talk about avoiding the rush. I think the guy avoided six sacks today. Not just sacks where guys ran by, I’m talking about where they had a hand on him.

“It’s just incredible what he can do to keep a play alive. And these are unscripted plays. If you’re a wide receiver, tight end, or running back on our team, we’re going to call the play in the huddle. This is it. This is what we’re all trying to do. Everybody got it? Good.”

Vikings continue chalking up QB J.J. McCarthy’s struggles to growing pains
How do McCarthy’s numbers compare to those of first-time starters in previous seasons? Here’s a snapshot:

PLAYER : BIG TIME THROW% : TO-WORTHY% : ON-TARGET
J.J. McCarthy : 6.7% : 5.5% : 38.7% :
Bo Nix : 3.7% : 1.8% : 76.6% :
Michael Penix Jr. : 9.0% : 1.7% : 67.0% :
Drake Maye : 3.7% : 3.5% : 76.2% :
Bryce Young : 3.2% : 3.3% : 73.3% :
Jayden Daniels : 3.5% : 1.5% : 78.2% :
Caleb Williams : 3.9% : 2.6% : 72.4% :
Anthony Richardson : 3.3% : 3.7% : 74.1% :
Brock Purdy : 2.0% : 2.5% : 77.0% :
Jaxson Dart : 5.9% : 3.4% : 62.3% :

Talent, growing pains on full display in J.J. McCarthy’s play vs. Ravens
McCarthy finished the day 20 of 42 for 248 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions (plus a third that was overturned on review), and 48 rushing yards. The completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating numbers are all clearly not good enough. McCarthy was just 7 of 23 on targets to his top two receivers, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. But even if he had his fair share of inaccurate throws, he also needed more help from his teammates.

Let’s start with the obvious negatives. McCarthy had 20 incompletions, including five passes that were batted down at the line of scrimmage. He threw two interceptions on deep attempts to Jefferson and was lucky to have a Roquan Smith INT over the middle overturned late in the game. His accuracy, quite simply, remains a work in progress. Far too many balls have sailed on his targets over the last couple weeks since his return to action.

“I thought he was pretty dialed in early on,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I thought there was a lot of tipped balls for a variety of reasons. I think we had four or five blocked shots by their D-line that, there were some opportunities. Those are incompletes, regardless of how you look at it. And then just as we were getting into the no-huddle, trying to make our way back from two scores … some of those early-down plays where he can be a little bit more pitch and catch.”
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The reality for the Vikings is that because McCarthy is so early in his quarterback journey, inconsistency and growing pains are unavoidable. They need the rest of the roster to help out their quarterback, which — Nailor aside — didn’t happen at the required level on Sunday. O’Connell can also probably do more to make life easier for his young quarterback, even while gradually removing the training wheels and giving him a chance to make plays. And of course, the Vikings need McCarthy to improve quickly and hopefully at least avoid making the same mistake twice.

“Part of the growth and development is we’ve gotta let him play a little bit as well, and we’re trying to figure out that balance that gives you a chance to at least have a chance to win the football game in the end,” O’Connell said. “I thought he competed. But every snap right now, there’s major growth and learning and teaching going on for a guy that was really making his fourth start.”

Snap count analysis and notable PFF grades from Vikings’ loss to Ravens
Vikings offensive snap counts vs. Ravens (out of 65)
LG Donovan Jackson: 65
RG Will Fries: 65
RT Brian O’Neill: 65
LT Christian Darrisaw: 65
C Blake Brandel: 65
QB J.J. McCarthy: 65
WR Justin Jefferson: 65
WR Jordan Addison: 62
TE T.J. Hockenson: 59
RB Aaron Jones: 46
WR Jalen Nailor: 44
RB Jordan Mason: 16
TE Ben Yurosek: 11
WR Adam Thielen: 9
FB C.J. Ham: 7
TE Ben Sims: 6

Top 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

Nailor — 87.5O’Neill — 66.2Darrisaw — 65.5Jackson — 64.4Jones — 62.5

Bottom 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

Hockenson — 46.5Brandel — 53.3McCarthy — 53.4Jefferson — 53.5Fries — 54.3

McCarthy obviously did not play well in the game, even if we saw some flashes of his talent. PFF charted him with four big-time throws, three turnover-worthy plays, and a 64.7 percent on-target rate. His accuracy simply has to improve if the Vikings are going to be more effective on offense. He also needs more help from his teammates and coaching staff.

Vikings defensive snap counts vs. Ravens (out of 70)
LB Blake Cashman: 70
S Josh Metellus: 70
CB Byron Murphy Jr: 69
LB Eric Wilson: 69
S Harrison Smith: 69
DT Jonathan Allen: 63
CB Isaiah Rodgers: 59
DT Jalen Redmond: 58
OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 56
DT Javon Hargrave: 55
OLB Jonathan Greenard: 36
OLB Dallas Turner: 27
DT Levi Drake Rodriguez: 24
CB Fabian Moreau: 16
LB Ivan Pace Jr: 13
DT Elijah Williams: 11
S Jay Ward: 5

Top 5 PFF grades on defense (min. 20 snaps)

Redmond — 74.5Turner — 71.0Hargrave — 69.8Cashman — 68.7Wilson — 65.7

Bottom 5 PFF grades on defense (min. 20 snaps)

Greenard — 36.2Metellus — 37.2Smith — 38.1Rodgers — 52.5Rodriguez — 57.0

Kevin O’Connell’s play-calling is under severe fire, but the issues surrounding it aren’t as dire for the Vikings as it may seem
The main issue people have with his play-calling has been his lack of willingness to run the football, especially in third and short situations. The one play that has their anger is the interception that J.J. McCarthy threw when targeting Justin Jefferson on a third-and-1 deep shot.
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When comparing the micro of each play call versus the macro of the cumulative results, it’s a difficult one to parse out. You can tell that the majority of the play calls are good, but the execution has not been there. At what point does good process get usurped because the results aren’t there? It’s a difficult discussion.
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The intermediate and deep passing game has been one of the best during O’Connell’s tenure, no matter who has played quarterback. Last year, Sam Darnold was the NFL’s best quarterback in those situations.

Even with that kind of success attacking down the field, the big issues are with the lack of a running game. O’Connell didn’t run the ball nearly enough. Even so, it wasn’t nearly as bad when you look at the game script.

Included in those 28 dropbacks are three when the Vikings were trying to get points at the end of the second half. Twenty-five dropbacks and 11 rushes is a 69.44% rate toward the passing game.

Even though that number is too high, it’s important to note that McCarthy can change the play call at the line of scrimmage by “canning” it, as they call two plays in the huddle. Canning it at the line of scrimmage allows the Vikings to get into the best play call for the defense they are facing.

Where the Vikings stand in the NFC North, playoff picture after loss to Ravens
Like the division race, the Vikings slipped a bit in the battle for a Wild Card spot, mainly because both the Bears and Packers occupy two of the three available spots. Like the NFC North, the NFC West is ultra-competitive at the top and has an impact on the race for a Wild Card spot.

The Seahawks and Rams both claimed big division wins. Seattle’s win boosts the Darnold-led team to the top of the NFC, while the Rams continued to solidify their grasp on the No. 5 seed. The Packers sit in the seventh and final playoff spot, with the 49ers (6-4), Panthers (5-5), and Vikings (4-5) on the outside looking in.

Note: Beat the Packers twice and win some other games (obviously) and there still is a chance!

JJ McCarthy’s cringeworthy alter ego is doing irreparable damage to White Boy PR
Vikings quarterback and total dork JJ McCarthy is making headlines, not for his play, but for his tremendously cringe alter ego known as “Nine.” Intensity isn’t a bad thing when it comes to playing QB in the NFL, but it is so clearly forced that it’s impossible to take it seriously.
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Needless to say, this has done serious damage to White Boy PR. We’ve been in a renaissance since Chet Hanks coined White Boy Summer. Now, this could be the end of an era.

This guy makes Russell Wilson look like a very cool, normal person. The Dangerwich pales in comparison to Nine when it comes to cornball status. I genuinely do not know if the White Boy brand can recover from this one.

I’m all for a quirked-up white boy with a little bit of swag busting it down, but this fake demon shit has to stop, and it has to stop now.

Of course, Vikings fans are eating this stuff up without a second thought. This is what happens when your franchise falls from grace immediately after being pretty good over and over again.
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Vikings fans, however, are conditioned losers. They are quite literally dying to have a franchise QB to get behind. And after their front office let both Sam Darnold and former ambassador to Israel Daniel Jones walk, JJ McCarthy is their only hope.

It’s really quite sad when you think about it.

The worst part of it all, though, is that JJ McCarthy really hasn’t been good at all. He’s played three games, and the coaching staff was so afraid to play him that they let Carson Wentz die on the field.

He’s acting like he’s on demon time after throwing for 143 yards with 2 TDs and a pick. Not exactly setting the world on fire.
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So, as a message to JJ McCarthy: you don’t have to do this, buddy. Just go ball out and have fun with it. If you get fired up, get fired up. Just stop making the White Boy community look bad. We do that plenty on our own already.

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