CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 08: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings shakes hands with Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears after the Week 1 game at Soldier Field. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Kevin O’Connell is the quarterback whisperer and he has a close relationship with J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback the Vikings tied themselves to in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy is set to make his home debut against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday night.
When McCarthy and O’Connell look across the field at U.S. Bank Stadium, they will see Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins. It’s conceivable that the Vikings could have ended up with either of them as the team’s current signal caller.
Cousins had been brilliant in the 2022 season with the Vikings, O’Connell’s first year on the Vikings sidelines. He was on his way to another excellent season the following year when he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles.
Cousins was a free agent at the conclusion of the year and while his medical reports indicated that he would be able to come back from that serious injury, the Vikings’ hands were tied. Cousins was 35 at the time and the Vikings had huge salary cap problems. Saying goodbye to a veteran quarterback and going with a youngster would give general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a chance to escape Salary Cap Hell and rebuild the roster.
It was clear that the Vikings could find their quarterback of the future in the draft, and the 2024 version was rich with QB1 candidates in Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Bo Nix, McCarthy and Penix.
It was clear that Williams was going with the No. 1 pick to the Bears, but the Vikings could have ended up with any of the other five if they were willing to move up from the 10th pick. After Williams, Daniels and Maye went with the first three picks, it came down to McCarthy, Penix and Nix for the Vikings at No. 10.
Falcons selection of Penix remains a work in progress
Nobody thought the Falcons were going to use the No. 8 pick to select Penix because they had just signed Cousins in free agency. Yet, that’s just what they did and the Vikings were left to select McCarthy. He had just led Michigan to its first undisputed national championship since 1948 and he had that special something that O’Connell wanted to work with and develop.
After his brilliant fourth-quarter comeback in Week One, McCarthy gets to line up against his second quarterback “brother” from the Class of ’24 after getting the best of Willams in Week One
The uneasy QB partnership between Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins remains in place in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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McCarthy is certainly coming into the matchup with Penix on a high note. His fourth-quarter performance against the Bears – two TD passes and another touchdown run – helped him gain NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He is also welcoming the birth of his first child along with fiancé Karolyn Kuropas. The world appears to be a wonderful place for McCarthy at this moment.
However, despite the fourth-quarter heroics against the Bears in the 27-24 victory, there was quite a lot of sloppiness in the first three quarters. O’Connell wants to see this offense operate at peak efficiency and the Vikings don’t appear to be close to that level at this point.
A victory over the Falcons appears to be in their grasp but it is not a given. Penix gives the Falcons an excellent deep arm, but his timing, accuracy and athleticism don’t appear to be at McCarthy’s level. Penix is coming off a game in which he completed 27 of 42 passes for 298 yards with one TD pass and another on the ground. He was sacked once by the Tampa Bay defense.
It is up to defensive coordinator Brian Flores to develop a game plan that will confuse Penix and force him into inadvertent and ruinous decisions.
As the Vikings prepare for the Falcons, a look at the schedule reveals the most winnable games are early in the season. The midseason test is coming against the Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens. Banking early-season victories is a must if this team is going to compete with the Lions and Packers in the NFC North.