Film Breakdown on JJ McCarthy

JJ McCarthy has had an underwhelming first season, to say the least, in 2025. McCarthy was looked at as a guy who could come in and command the offense right away with all the weapons he has. That has not been the case so far. Now let's take a look into the film together and analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 22-year-old quarterback.

The Mechanics

Kevin O’Connell mentioned that JJ McCarthy is doing the right things in practice mechanically, but it has not translated into the games at a consistent level yet. O’Connell used the phrase “waiting for the cement to dry,” alluding that once McCarthy’s mechanics are solidified, he will have a foundation to grow on.

Looking more into the mechanics, McCarthy is having trouble with his initial posture being in the correct spot consistently. This leads to inaccurate and off-target throws, which makes a lot of sense. O’Connell mentioned that when he has great posture at the top of his drops, “he throws the ball really well.” You can see in the clip above that at the top of his dropback, his posture looks good, but when he finishes, his body is off balance. It really wasn’t a bad ball, and Jordan Addison should have caught it, but you can start to see some of the issues we’re talking about in his base.

Another thing I have noticed (seen above) through McCarthy’s film is his constant leg kicks after he releases the ball. I am not 100% sure if this throws off his balance or if it’s the result of him whipping the ball with his upper body, causing him to not have a strong base. Regardless, it seems to be an issue for him, and it is just another mechanical problem that leads to inaccurate passes.

Here’s what Kevin O’Connell had to say about JJ McCarthy’s back-leg whip and whether it’s something he’s seen QBs succeed with, or something he ideally doesn’t want to see:

"I think it's something that some throwers you know- historically you've seen it. You've seen them do it. But to me, it's the times where it can be credited due to a lack of foundation and balance more so than the torque that he's generating. And I think there's a middle ground there that we're working towards. And we've seen from kind of a smooth rhythm standpoint that I think is what we're hunting a little bit more on a snap-to-snap basis."

Again, you can see his leg whip around like a pitcher. This wasn’t a bad or inaccurate pass and probably should have been caught, but he’s turning throws that should be 80% power into 100%. There’s no concern about McCarthy’s ability to fire a fastball through a tight window, but at times the velocity on his throws is simply too much for his receivers.

I think the most interesting thing I’ve learned while researching for this article is that McCarthy was thought to have great mechanics in college and going into the draft. That leads me to believe this is all rookie error and a mental thing. If McCarthy can slow the game down in his mind and not have to worry about whether his hips are in the right spot or if his posture is correct, he will be okay. I think the kid just needs to calm down a little bit and play his game the way he has his entire football career. This is just rookie behavior, as expected.

The Good

JJ McCarthy, on his final drive of the game against the Bears, went 6/8 for 77 yards and a touchdown to Jordan Addison. After a mostly horrible day by McCarthy, this showed he can battle adversity and persevere no matter the hill that needs to be climbed.

McCarthy had some great throws on this drive and was able to read the field in a quick offensive drill at the end of the game. It makes you wonder if the reason he was able to play so well was due to the fast-paced play and not having time to think. Sometimes I think he just needs to settle down a little bit. McCarthy certainly has the mentality, win mindset, and decision-making of a franchise quarterback, and these are hard things to teach. What will be most important is him implementing the things he can be taught and replicating them consistently in games.

In the final clip, you can see McCarthy maintain a perfect base and posture, without an excessive swing from his legs. It’s a textbook play that shows he’s more than capable; he just needs more repetitions for it to become second nature. If he had done any of the things I mentioned earlier, that ball would have sailed over Jalen Nailor’s head just like the others.

It’s no coincidence that we’ve seen him succeed most when the game is on the line. That’s where he thrives—and, funny enough, where he’s the calmest. The dude is a straight winner, but he needs to get his game under control for the full four quarters moving forward.

Final Note

This entire game against the Chicago Bears in Week 11 was easily McCarthy’s worst game of the season. From his mechanics to his accuracy, all of it tied together into an overall bad performance, with two interceptions and only 50% of his passes completed. The most frustrating part of this is that the Vikings’ offensive line was fantastic. This was the cleanest pocket JJ had seen all season, and every single offensive lineman had a great day. We need to see more from McCarthy, and I truly think we will very soon.

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