Any sense at all that the issue will reignite itself in the Vikings’ Week 1 game?
Kirk Cousins was a constant source of controversy in Minnesota, mostly due to the hearty contract commitments over the years alongside the lack of team success (did the issue follow him to Atlanta?). One way of coming at that issue — the lack of team success — rested in Cousins’ performance under the bright lights of prime time. Fair or unfair, Cousins was associated with failing to elevate his team in these important games.
Shift things over to the present moment in Minnesota. Very reasonably, the Vikings are moving ahead with J.J. McCarthy.
The kid QB is only 22 and unproven since he has yet to throw a real NFL pass. He’ll get his first taste of NFL action on Monday Night Football. Further enhancing the difficulty is that the game is taking place on the road against a divisional rival. Can the sophomore get his career off the ground with a win?
Mr. Cousins, Mr. McCarthy, & The Vikings’ Week 1 Game
Vikings and Bears. No shortage of stories for that one, especially given that each team considers itself as being on the rise.
At roughly the same time that Minnesota hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Chicago hired Ryan Poles.
The Vikings then ventured into a competitive rebuild while the Bears did a more traditional rebuild, stripping things down in an effort to land high selections. The teams now have aspirations of finding meaningful success — getting into the playoffs and making noise once there — in the 2025 season.
A little more flavor will be added to the Monday night meal given the offseason context within The Windy City. Ben Johnson, the brilliant offensive coordinator for the Lions, is now the head coach in Chicago. Johnson will be looking to squeeze a ton of talent out of Caleb Williams, a tremendously-gifted passer.
Meanwhile, O’Connell is looking to continue living up to his reputation as a quarterback expert as Minnesota turns things over to J.J. McCarthy. The plan is to partner tremendous coaching with a tremendous roster. Doing so is supposed to help McCarthy to find early success.
Just how early is that success going to arrive?
Kirk Cousins became clutch when O’Connell arrived. Go back to the 2022 season, a fun year largely because the quarterback who struggled in critical moments led his team to a whopping eight fourth-quarter comeback wins. Minnesota couldn’t replicate that success in the playoffs — there was an infamous throw short of the sticks to T.J. Hockenson — but Kirk Cousins was never better.
J.J. McCarthy is going to be leaned upon to bring Minnesota further along as a team. The stats may not be as sizzling as they were from Cousins and there’s a very low chance that a sophomore passer has eight game-winning drives. The hope is that he won’t need to do so.
Paying a quarterback tremendous money — as was the case with Kirk Cousins — comes with an implicit message. The team is basically saying, “Yes, one guy is making a disproportionate amount of money, but we think the quarterback is so good that he’ll overcome the roster’s flaws.” In some ways, Cousins showed off that ability in 2022.
With McCarthy, the plan is different. He’s operating on that coveted rookie contract, meaning the roster has seen enhancements in critical spots. Instead of being asked to carry a huge load on his shoulders, McCarthy is supposed to carry a medium one.
The 22-year-old passer can get things started off on the right foot with a Week 1 win in prime time. There will be be an overreaction no matter what occurs — what is the NFL if not a place where analysts and fans can overreact based on scant evidence? Lose and there could be some Cousins concerns brought up; winning will mean being anointed as the franchise savior, if only for a few days.
J.J. McCarthy appears to have that intangible “it-factor,” a form of leadership that lends itself to shining in prime time games. Do keep things in proportion even if things go poorly, however.
