Saturday's preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders certainly didn't get off to a great start for Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But McCarthy was able to quickly shake off his early mistake and prove why the Vikings selected him with the 10th overall pick in the the 2024 NFL Draft earlier this year.
After throwing an interception in his first drive under center for Minnesota on Saturday, the rookie signal-caller responded by completing 10 of his next 14 pass attempts for 170 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautiful 45-yard toss to wide receiver Trishton Jackson to put six points up on the scoreboard.
J.J. McCarthy to Trishton Jackson for the 45 yard TD!
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J.J. McCarthy proves why Minnesota Vikings drafted him so high with preseason performance vs. Las Vegas Raiders
It was almost like McCarthy had to throw an interception during his first drive of the game to get rid of any nervousness he might have had entering the contest. Because after that play, he was dynamite for most of his remaining time on the field.
Sure, McCarthy still had a few hiccups throughout the matchup against Las Vegas. But since he's a rookie, no one should be surprised that the young Vikings quarterback didn't put together a perfect performance in his first-ever NFL preseason appearance.
However, Minnesota has to be thrilled with the way McCarthy responded after his interception. He still remained aggressive in the pocket and didn't just dump the ball off to a running back or a fullback multiple times in an effort to lower his chances of turning the ball over.
McCarthy just quickly put his mistake behind him and didn't let it eat at him for the rest of the game. This isn't something that could be said all of the time about the quarterback who spent the previous six years as the Vikings' starter.
Now, did McCarthy do enough on Saturday to unseat Sam Darnold as Minnesota's expected starting signal-caller for the team's regular-season opener in a few weeks? Probably not, but the rookie proved against the Raiders that he already has plenty of tools to help him succeed in the NFL sooner rather than later.