J.J. McCarthy did not have the bounce-back performance he was looking for Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field.
Far from it, actually.
McCarthy, in his sixth career start, threw for just 87 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions on 12-of-19 passing in the Vikings’ ugly 23–6 loss to the rival Packers. The Vikings had five possessions in the second half: three punts after three-and-outs and two interceptions. Minnesota gained a total of four (yes, four) net yards in the final two quarters as McCarthy was sacked five times.
“I’ve got to do better. I’ve got to do everything better,” McCarthy told the media in his postgame press conference after the game.
It wasn’t all on McCarthy. The Vikings relied on the run game in the first half and entered the break trailing Green Bay 10–6. After Minnesota’s defense forced a punt on the first possession of the third quarter, return man Myles Price let a punt bounce inside the 10-yard line, but it hit his helmet, and the Packers recovered.
Green Bay quickly scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to make it 17–6, and its defense teed off on McCarthy the rest of the afternoon.
Through McCarthy’s first six career starts, he has completed just 54% of his passes (86 of 159) for 929 yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions—adding up to a dismal 57.9 passer rating. That is the fifth-worst passer rating through a player’s first six career starts this century.
Worst passer rating through first six career NFL starts (since 2000)
With 10 interceptions on 159 pass attempts through six games, McCarthy has the highest interception rate in that same span. Matthew Stafford holds the high mark for total interceptions through six starts in that span with 12 on 214 attempts, which included five in a single game back in his rookie season in 2009.
Worst interception rate through first six career NFL starts (since 2000)
Of course, a quarterback’s career isn’t defined by his first six games. Look no further than Stafford, the No. 1 pick of the 2009 draft who went 1–5 with 12 picks and a 55.9 passer rating in his first six starts, only to string together a Hall of Fame-worthy résumé and win a Super Bowl over the next 16 years.
A big difference between his first six starts and McCarthy’s start to his career, however, is that Stafford took over a Lions team that went 0–16 in 2008, while McCarthy took over a franchise that won 14 games with Sam Darnold at the helm last season.
There still is time for McCarthy to turn things around. But no matter how often Kevin O’Connell preaches patience, McCarthy needs to show the Vikings that he is capable of being their franchise quarterback—and he needs to do so soon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How J.J. McCarthy’s Rough Start to Career Ranks in Recent NFL History.
