MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — J.J. McCarthy had an erratic start for the Minnesota Vikings, completing 5 of 10 passes for 81 yards in a 13-3 exhibition loss to Baltimore on Saturday, while undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano threw a touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester for the Ravens.McCarthy played four series with the second-team offense before yielding to 11-year veteran Carson Wentz, leaving the picture unclear about who will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Kyler Murray.“We want to keep giving those guys opportunities,” said coach Kevin O’Connell, who’d planned to give McCarthy a little more playing time but decided to pull him after a couple of hard hits left him walking gingerly off the field.The 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, who missed his rookie year while recovering from knee surgery and was limited by 10 starts last season because of multiple injuries, misfired to open receivers multiple times. After deftly moving up in the pocket for a 50-yard completion to Tai Felton midway through the first quarter, McCarthy threw too hard into the end zone twice for incompletions — resulting in a turnover on downs.
Myles Price was wide open in the front corner on fourth-and-1, but McCarthy sailed the ball over the 5-foot-9 receiver.“Just throws I’ve got to make. We called great plays, but at the end of the day I know I can make those throws,” McCarthy said. “It’s great to have that experience logged in and that data logged in to be able to make that throw next time.”
