After three quarters of Monday Night Football, Atlanta Falcons fans were breathing a sigh of relief. There was a chance that next week\u2019s primetime debut against the Minnesota Vikings was going to be a bit easier than first expected.<\/p>\n
Then, the fourth quarter started.<\/p>\n
J.J. McCarthy posted the highest QB rating (149.5) of any quarterback that played in the fourth quarter, going 6-for-8 for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a 14-yard scramble for a touchdown, to make it three touchdowns on the day, tying the most by any quarterback in the final quarter with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.<\/p>\n
So, needless to say, when I asked Daily Norseman\u2019s<\/a> David Stefano<\/a> about J.J. McCarthy, as well as the rest of the loaded Vikings roster, he was quite excited. Let\u2019s get to it:<\/p>\n Me: Which JJ McCarthy are we getting against a clearly young, yet opportunistic Falcons defense? The one we saw in the first half or the second half?<\/p>\n David Stefano: The second half JJ. The first three quarters seemed to shake off the rust after playing only 10 snaps in preseason game 1. Kevin O\u2019Connell follows the Sean McVay philosophy of bubble-wrapping starters during the preseason, which risks a slow start. JJ might be a bit tired, though, after being with his fianc\u00e9e for the birth of their son last night. He was still at practice Friday.<\/p>\n Me: Brian Flores has made life especially difficult for opposing quarterbacks over the past two years, what could he have cooked up for Penix and company this week? Especially with the potential injuries at wide receiver.<\/p>\n David: You won\u2019t have to worry about an Andrew Van Ginkel pick-6 since he hasn\u2019t cleared concussion protocol yet\u2014same with our CB3, Jeff Okudah. That\u2019s the good news for you. The bad news? It won\u2019t matter. Dallas Turner will get more playing time and Dwight McGlothern will step in as the third corner. Expect heavy interior pressure, either direct or through stunts. Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen will create problems alongside our blitz-heavy schemes, which are particularly effective against young quarterbacks like Michael Penix.<\/p>\n Me: As a Vikings fan, you\u2019ve witnessed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O\u2019Connell build one of the more sound infrastructures surrounding the quarterback position, what do you think they did differently?<\/p>\n David: Great question! They\u2019ve had a clear plan from day one to build an infrastructure that maximizes the advantage of a rookie QB contract. They analyzed future draft classes (as I assume the Falcons did too) and identified the 2024 class as the sweet spot. They worked to resolve salary cap issues left by Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, which culminated this season, allowing over $300M in free agency and extension spending. They targeted and secured their needs on both offensive and defensive lines. For quarterback development, it all starts with Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s philosophy of not failing the quarterback\u2014unlike many teams. Whether working with Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, Sam Darnold, or others, he consistently elevates QB performance.<\/p>\n Me: Everyone has a bold take. What\u2019s your one bold take about the 2025 Minnesota Vikings?<\/p>\n David: That this will be a very, very special season.<\/p>\n Me: Score prediction time. Who do you think pulls this out on Sunday, Vikings or Falcons? And what\u2019s the final score? <\/p>\n David: Vikings win 30-20. The home crowd will be ROCKIN\u2019!<\/p>\n