J.J. McCarthy flashes big-play ability but familiar issues remain in Vikings' loss to Ravens

Ben Goessling, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Aug 22, 2026

Published in Football

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MINNEAPOLIS — The last time the Vikings played at U.S. Bank Stadium, beating the Packers in the regular-season finale to get to 9-8, J.J. McCarthy was their starting quarterback before leaving early with a hand injury.

He was back as the starter Saturday in the Vikings’ 13-3 preseason loss to the Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium. This time, however, it came while Kyler Murray and the rest of the Vikings’ first-team offense got the day off after two days of joint practices against Baltimore.

And while McCarthy’s 50-yard completion to Tai Felton tied the third-longest of his career, his best drive of the day stalled on the goal line because of a familiar issue.

McCarthy threw a pair of line drives that forced Felton and Myles Price to make leaping attempts in the back of the end zone. The passes sailed through both receivers’ hands, and the Vikings were held scoreless on what turned out to be their only red zone trip of the day.

“Just throws I got to make,” said McCarthy, who gave way to Carson Wentz after the first quarter. “[Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips] called great plays, but at the end of the day, I know I can hit those throws. You know, it’s great to have that experience logged in and that data logged in to be able to make that throw next time. I wouldn’t say I felt sped up. It’s just, sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss, and you know it’s just one of those things. It’s what preseason is all about.”

Coach Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings had planned for McCarthy to play longer into the game, but the quarterback got “banged up” by a Ravens defense that hit him in the knees on back-to-back plays, including a Mike Green sack. McCarthy said he didn’t anticipate the hits caused any damage that would lead him to miss a game.

McCarthy finished 5 of 10 for 81 yards in his lone quarter of action. His 50-yard toss to Felton, during which he slipped away from Aeneas Peebles’ pressure and stepped up in the pocket before hitting the receiver with a back-shoulder throw, came on a play McCarthy said wasn’t in the game plan. O’Connell and Phillips decided to run it in pursuit of a certain coverage.

“It was knowing that when we were going fast, we were going to get a specific coverage; a high probability of getting that coverage,” McCarthy said. “It wasn’t that one [that we were expecting], but it came to fruition, just him running a great route and offensive line protecting and making the throw.”

The Vikings, who committed eight false starts at home against the Ravens last November, had two more on Saturday with McCarthy at quarterback.

Wentz completed nine of his 11 passes for 92 yards in the second quarter after taking over for McCarthy. Max Brosmer played the entire second half and finished 11 of 17 for 98 yards, throwing an interception over the middle on a pass intended for Terrill Davis late in the fourth quarter.

Brosmer, the former Minnesota Gophers starter, barely played in the Vikings’ preseason opener after suffering a right thumb injury in the team’s 13-10 win over the New York Giants.

“We wanted to make sure we got Max a good amount of time coming off the game last week, just because he only got the three plays [against the Giants],” O’Connell said. “We’ll make a plan for this week, to make sure we get them all enough work to be able to see where they’re all at.”

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