Many in the media had turned quickly on Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy after just six starts in the NFL. Still, opinions have slowly shifted over the last two games.
McCarthy put on a show for the Dallas Cowboys fans in the Vikings' 34-26 win over the 'Boys. Minnesota's young signal caller completed 15 of 24 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns to one interception, adding a rushing score in the win as well.
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski was impressed with McCarthy's performance after recently grading all the quarterbacks in Week 15's play. McCarthy got a B+ from Sobleski.
"[Kevin] O'Connell may be known as a quarterback whisperer around the NFL, but the start of McCarthy's career had been rough.
Keep in mind, last year's 10th overall draft pick was only 21 years old during a lost rookie season where he couldn't play because of injury. McCarthy, O'Connell, and the Vikings as a whole needed time to establish the young signal-caller. It's starting to come to fruition, even if it's a little late in the process."
Tide is turning on Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy and how many view him
It felt like two weeks ago, everyone was ready to ship McCarthy off to the UFL and find a new starter in free agency or the draft. The former Michigan Wolverines national champion fought through all that and has pieced together two straight strong performances.
McCarthy has completed 66 percent of his passes for 413 yards and five touchdowns to one interception in the last two games. If fans add in the rushing score in the Cowboys game, McCarthy has scored three touchdowns in each of his previous two games.
His overall numbers won't look great with a 56 percent completion percentage and 11 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in eight starts, but he has made progress in his time. He's still 4-4 as the starting quarterback on the Vikings, which isn't bad for a guy starting for the first time in his NFL career.
The last two games obviously won't be enough to expunge him from consideration for losing his job, but they're a cautionary tale for everyone to be patient with young quarterbacks. Let them learn how to play the position and make mistakes before trying to end their careers because of a few bad games.
McCarthy is a proven winner and has all the tools to be a starting quarterback as long as the Vikings give him the time needed to work on improving his craft.