JJ McCarthy shakes off interception and plays “free” in impressive preseason debut

JJ McCarthy’s third pass attempt in his preseason debut was a “welcome to the NFL” moment. On a 3rd-and-8 early in the second quarter, McCarthy escaped pressure by rolling to his right and using one foot to try to find Trishton Jackson near the sideline. The ball came too late and was intercepted by Raiders cornerback Jack Jones.

The Vikings’ rookie quarterback didn’t want to start his first game like this, but he wasn’t going to let one bad throw spoil the rest of the afternoon.

“What an opportunity, honestly,” McCarthy said when asked what was going through his mind after the pick. “In this league, things go wrong, and when they do, it comes down to the ability to react and navigate those waters. You just have to have that goldfish memory to just go back out there and have that sling-it mentality, which is what I needed.”

You’d think an early interception in front of everyone would add pressure to a 21-year-old quarterback. But that wasn’t the case. McCarthy, who is used to playing in big games since winning the national championship at Michigan last year, said the interception actually took away his nerves.

“After the interception, all the nervousness disappeared and I felt like I could play freely and have fun,” he said.

It showed. McCarthy’s next pass was a point to Jackson, which he delivered as a linebacker charged at him. Later in the drive, he fought his way to a first down and then found Jackson for another big chunk. The interception was already a distant memory.

In the third quarter, McCarthy really started to flex his muscles. He hit Nick Muse on a crossing route on 3rd and 9, then threw a perfect deep ball to Jackson on a go route on the left side. Touchdown. It was a simple five-step drop with a tug and a dump to the perfect spot.

“We talked yesterday that if we called the play, he would win, and I trusted him,” McCarthy said.

One possession later, McCarthy connected with Jackson a fourth time for a 4th-and-2 conversion and then threw a touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield, who found himself completely free behind the defense after a play. That was the last throw of the day for McCarthy, who completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the Vikings’ 24-23 victory. He also ran twice for 18 yards.

“He looked outstanding,” Jackson said. “Even after the early interception, he felt bad, but he turned around and showed it. Great leadership. He got us in and out of the huddle quickly, he’s composed. He’s genuine.”

After three pass attempts on the day, it looked like McCarthy was going to face a tough pass, but he shrugged it off with ease and delivered a very impressive performance that showcased his accuracy, athleticism and mental toughness.

Veteran Sam Darnold, who had a strong opening drive, likely remains the Vikings’ starter in Week 1. But McCarthy is the future, and the Vikings only wanted to see his growth and development in this game. They got that and more.

“Everyone can see the talent in his arm,” Kevin O’Connell said. “I just love seeing him come back after the interception, still aggressive, still doing the footwork, timing, rhythm and getting the right eye position. So there were a lot of positives to JJ’s performance tonight and a lot of areas we can start building on right away when the guys get back on Monday.”