It's no secret that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has had some dreadful performances during this season, the absolute worst of which came in a Week 12 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers.
During the 23-6 defeat, the Michigan alum was at least somewhat efficient, completing 12 of 19 passes, with that 63.2 completion percentage representing his second-highest mark of the year at the time. That said, however, he threw for just 87 yards, failed to throw a touchdown, and tossed two interceptions, thus earning a career-worst 34.2 passer rating. And to make matters worse, he took five sacks and ultimately suffered a concussion, which forced him to miss Minnesota's Week 13 matchup with Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks.
With the poor performances McCarthy had before the Packers game, combined with the questions about his durability given the fact that he missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus and five games earlier this year before his concussion with a high-ankle sprain, there have naturally been countless conversations had about whether Minnesota made a mistake in drafting him and/or what the team should do at quarterback in 2026.
Over the last two weeks, however, McCarthy has quieted some of those conversations with a pair of promising performances.
In the Vikings' 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 14, the 22-year-old earned a career-best 129.2 passer rating after completing a career-high 69.6 percent of his passes for 163 yards with a career-high three touchdowns and zero interceptions, thus marking his first turnover-free outing.
And last Sunday, in Minnesota's 34-26 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, McCarthy earned a 108.0 passer rating after completing 62.5 percent of his passes for a career-high 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception (which came on a tipped pass on his very first throw of the night), also adding his third rushing touchdown of the year on a beautiful fake handoff.
Here's the thing, though. While these two outings were undoubtedly encouraging, the Vikings need to be very careful in how they assess them, as they came against two of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has faced bad pass defenses the past two weeks, and the next two weeks are more of the same
The Commanders currently rank 29th against the pass, surrendering 246.3 yards per game through the air, and their 35.4 PFF coverage grade ranks 30th among the 32 clubs.
And the Cowboys are even worse, ranking dead last by surrendering 254.8 yards per game, with their 35.1 coverage grade ranking 31st.
And it could be difficult to judge the next two weeks as well. This Sunday, the Vikes will square off with the New York Giants, who rank 23rd against the pass, allowing 228.9 yards per game. And in Week 17, they take on the Detroit Lions, who rank 24th, surrendering 231.1 yards per contest.
Week 18 could be interesting, as Minnesota gets its rematch with the Packers, who could very well be playing for the NFC North and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Green Bay has allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards this season at just 194.1 per game. However, a good chunk of their success against the pass is because of the pressure Micah Parsons, who's out for the year with a torn ACL, was able to generate.
It's still a strong unit, of course, but it's obviously weaker than it was when the Vikes faced them a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, Minnesota will be looking to play spoiler, and McCarthy, in a rivalry matchup that could feel like the closest thing to a playoff game he'll get this year, could be a good test.
This isn't meant to be a knock on McCarthy, as one of the marks of a good quarterback is torching defenses you're supposed to torch. So, he certainly deserves some credit for what he's done the past two weeks. But let's not crown him the king of Minnesota just yet.