Following a pair of disappointing performances in his previous two games, things got even worse for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the team's Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
McCarthy finished the contest in Green Bay, completing 63.2 percent of his passes (12-of-19) for 87 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. His performance resulted in him walking off the field with a 34.2 passer rating, which is his lowest in a single game this season.
Everyone inside the Vikings locker room wants McCarthy to figure it out and find a way to succeed, but it has now reached a point for the team to consider if they are doing more to hurt his development by keeping him out there on the field each week.
Minnesota Vikings need to seriously consider benching J.J. McCarthy
In the first half, McCarthy actually looked pretty decent running Minnesota's offense. The Vikings actually headed into the locker room at the end of the second quarter with more total yards (141) than the Packers (140).
But then the second half happened and that's when everything started to crumble for the Vikings and their second-year quarterback.
Minnesota's offense couldn't move the ball (four total yards), McCarthy couldn't get rid of the ball (four sacks), and it ultimately resulted in the Vikings leaving the field on Sunday with an embarrassing 23-6 loss in Green Bay.
In six starts this season, McCarthy has completed 54.1 percent of his passes, averaged 155 passing yards per matchup, thrown a total of six touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and generated a passer rating of 57.9.
It's no guarantee that Minnesota benching him for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer is going to solve anything this season. But letting McCarthy practice and then learn from the sidelines might be the best thing for his development moving forward if he's ever going to live up to the expectations of being a first-round draft pick.