All week, Minnesota Vikings fans have not been able to turn on the national sports media shows without one analyst slamming quarterback J.J. McCarthy for his play this season.
It's been an up-and-down first season for McCarthy, who's gone 2-3 as the starter. He hasn't been able to pick up momentum after a second injury in his NFL career cost him about half the season before his return.
With the discourse of McCarthy being at an all-time high, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is needed more than ever on and off the field. Jefferson told the media how he is helping his young quarterback through this rough patch in his career.
"With all of the criticism and all of the hateful messages he's probably been getting, he can cut on the TV on SportsCenter, they can talk negatively about him. Just trying to be that person for him that he can always lean on and talk to."
Jefferson will be the catalyst in getting McCarthy back on track
It has been a rough season for McCarthy, as he has struggled to protect the football and has put it in harm's way. This season, he has completed just 52.9% of his passes for 842 yards and six touchdowns to eight interceptions. He's also fumbled the ball four times, with one of them being lost.
Many of the issues stem from McCarthy working on his throwing mechanics, which have held him back from reaching his true potential. He's struggled with deep-ball accuracy and with hitting those big plays the offense needs to create a spark.
There's plenty in McCarthy's game that gets overlooked that shows he's got what it takes to be a starter in the NFL. Twice this season, against the Chicago Bears (the first time) and the Detroit Lions, McCarthy has come up big with key fourth-quarter scores to spark a win for his team. Even the second time against the Bears, he threw a touchdown to give the Vikings the lead with under a minute to go before Chicago pulled out a last-second win.
The key for McCarthy to get going, though, will be to get the ball in Jefferson's hands. This season, Jefferson is pacing for one of his least productive seasons of his career, averaging just 74.7 yards per game, which would be a career low. He does have 747 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
This ultimately falls on Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell to get more creative with the play-calling and make it easier for McCarthy to hit Jefferson on passes and create yards after the catch for his star receiver. O'Connell is aware he's got a quarterback with only five career starts and needs to simplify the offense for him.
The potential is there for the Vikings' offense to break loose, but taking it back to basics with quick passes and throwing it to Jefferson would be a good start for this team.