At this point, there’s no more hiding behind closed practices and coachspeak. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings are admittedly working through mechanical issues with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and the entire offense will remain a work in progress in the interim.
Some growing pains were expected for a 23-year-old player who lost his entire rookie season — and all the valuable practice reps that come with it – to last summer’s meniscus injury. But the Vikings don’t want McCarthy thinking on the field; they want him reacting naturally while executing the offense, and that just hasn’t been the case over the first six starts of his career.
Drops have become an issue, especially in Minnesota’s latest loss, to the Chicago Bears last Sunday. Given the quality of the Vikings’ skill position group, it’s hard to see that trend continuing, especially as McCarthy gets more comfortable with his throwing mechanics.
“Bats” have become another glaring problem, though, and it’s one O’Connell and company must address immediately to keep this season afloat.
‘Blocked shots’ have become a major concern for J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings in 2025
The Vikings can’t afford to miss opportunities in the passing game right now. McCarthy enters Week 12 completing a woeful 52.9 percent of his attempts; that’s the worst mark in football among passers with at least 70 pass attempts this season.
An emerging (and alarming) trend has been McCarthy’s pass attempts that never even clear the line of scrimmage.
Batted balls — or “blocked shots,” as O’Connell coins them — have now officially been added to the Vikings’ to-do list with their young QB. He had two passes batted down against the Bears, including a big one on third down that was swallowed up by Montez Sweat late in the fourth quarter.
McCarthy made up for that play with a key fourth-down conversion throw to wide receiver Jordan Addison, but the battle against batted balls is hardly a new problem. Per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, McCarthy now has eight batted or deflected passes among his 140 attempts this season.
“In terms of frequency, there’s no quarterback who’s had his passes deflected more. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, McCarthy’s 5.7% rate of batted or tipped passes is the highest in the NFL. Just last week against the Ravens, he had five of his 42 passes batted or tipped.”
McCarthy measured slightly below average in terms of height at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, coming in at 6 feet, 2.5 inches. Still, he’s well within the preferred range for a starting quarterback in the league, and deflected passes shouldn't be this much of an issue.
Vikings fans can only hope that the ongoing work O’Connell and the Vikings are doing with McCarthy behind the scenes eventually pays off. Mechanical flaws are fixable, and McCarthy’s propensity to throw laser beams — as star wide receiver Justin Jefferson pointed out during training camp — is part of the problem.
Talked J.J. McCarthy yesterday on NFL Live with @DanGrazianoESPN. And hello, @BenjaminSolak. pic.twitter.com/FsZAiSgx7i
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) July 16, 2025
O’Connell said the team’s been working with McCarthy from the ground up, from his base when the passing motion begins, to his shoulders when the ball’s released. Those adjustments should, in time, lead to more catchable balls for the receivers — and fewer blocked shots at the line of scrimmage.
Is it possible to fix those issues with just seven games remaining in a teetering season? That's the million-dollar question.