MINNEAPOLIS — J.J. McCarthy bent over. Maybe exasperated. Perhaps in disbelief. He buried his helmet in his hands, reacting to another golden opportunity squandered.It was the first quarter. McCarthy, who started Saturday’s preseason game at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, had been given a staple play call. Before the snap, second-year receiver Myles Price motioned to create confusion for the cornerback. The eye candy worked. Price used the deception to wiggle wide open in the end zone to McCarthy’s right.McCarthy read the concept correctly. An accurate pass would have resulted in an easy touchdown. But McCarthy’s pass whistled too high and hot for Price. The incompletion exemplified the young quarterback’s struggles not only Saturday, but also throughout the majority of his NFL career.He has struggled with consistency. He doesn’t look smooth. McCarthy has premium throwing velocity in his holster, but almost everything else feels more difficult than it should for a first-round pick entering his third season.“Those are just throws I’ve got to make,” McCarthy said. “(The coaches) called great plays. At the end of the day, I know I can make those throws. It was great to have that experience and data logged in to be able to make that throw next time.”Top Plays from Ravens @ VikingsCoach Kevin O’Connell said he prepared for McCarthy to play more than four drives at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, a game the Vikings lost 13-3. More snaps would mean more development. It also allowed him to show Minnesota’s coaching staff he has earned the backup quarterback spot behind starter Kyler Murray.After a gnarly hit in the pocket on a third-and-13 with four seconds remaining in the first quarter, however, McCarthy hobbled to the sideline. He didn’t play another down. After the game, neither O’Connell nor McCarthy specified the injury. McCarthy said he was “banged up” and that he “always wants to keep playing no matter what.”“Coach O’Connell is going to make the right decision for me and the team,” McCarthy said. “Yeah. I’m just following orders.”McCarthy said he doesn’t believe Saturday’s injury will affect his future availability. But that conversation is currently secondary to the more important subject: Whom would the Vikings trust to play if Murray misses time this fall?Two weeks ago, when O’Connell announced Murray as the starter, he confirmed McCarthy as the backup. Last week, in response to a follow-up question on the topic after Carson Wentz’s steady performance in the first preseason game against the New York Giants, O’Connell reiterated his stance.“He has taken all the 2 reps in practice,” O’Connell said of McCarthy. “And he’s done really well. … We want J.J. to feel like he’s one snap away, so he’s got to prepare like he’s the starter anyway. It’s easy to say those things. We wanted to have a room that forced it. So, we’ll see how these next couple of weeks play out. We’re going to do what’s best for our team.”The Vikings validated this as a plan during this week’s joint practices against the Ravens. McCarthy took the lion’s share of the second-team snaps. His effectiveness wavered. On Wednesday, he threaded a beautiful deep ball over the middle to Price to end the team’s two-minute drill in celebration.Thursday saw fewer highlights. Once, when extending a play to his right, McCarthy threw an errant pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.Minnesota’s staff hoped McCarthy would build off those two days Saturday. Instead, the erratic performance continued. McCarthy sailed a ball directed toward Price on his first offensive play. The next snap featured a false start. McCarthy converted a third-down try to Price, but even that completion forced Price to lunge.“I have to go look at the throws,” O’Connell said. “Sometimes, there’s pressure in his face. Sometimes, it’s a throw that we can hit nine out of 10. But each one kind of tells its own story.”McCarthy’s best hookup Saturday occurred on his second drive. He evaded Ravens defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles in the pocket, climbed forward and lofted a 50-50 ball down the right sideline. Second-year receiver Tai Felton snatched the ball over Ravens cornerback Silas Walters. The explosive play set up the brutal red zone sequence.On first down, McCarthy connected with running back Demond Claiborne on a swing pass to his left. The Vikings schemed a play-action crossing route to Felton on second down. McCarthy’s feet chopped anxiously. Felton couldn’t haul in a high heater on the back line. Two plays later, McCarthy missed Price, which inspired the helmet-in-hands reflex.His stat line of 5-for-10 passing for 81 yards requires the context of six quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. Still, McCarthy’s showing — especially juxtaposed with Wentz’s professional-looking operation (9-of-11 passing for 92 yards) — makes the backup quarterback question a fair one.Wentz, who had offers to go elsewhere this offseason, signed for $3 million. That figure is in line with most NFL backups. The backup position is critical for a team with a starter in Murray who has missed games due to injuries in three of his last four seasons. The Vikings also turned the job over to backups in two of their previous four seasons.“We want to keep giving those guys opportunities,” O’Connell said when asked Saturday about the quarterback depth chart. “Would’ve loved to get J.J. a little more work. But he got a little banged up there, and we just decided to give Carson his time.”Wentz, 33, wasn’t perfect, to be sure. But he was consistent, and that may matter more than anything.Aug 22, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms