Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy made his third start of his career on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. McCarthy led the Vikings to an enormous win over their divisional rival to level Minnesota back at .500 on the season after missing five games with a high ankle sprain.
“It was awesome, yeah, just when you’re hurt, being on IR last year and being out for five [games this year] absolutely kills me – not being out there with those guys, because I love every single one of them. And, you know, I know they got my back and I got theirs the rest of the way,” McCarthy said after the game, according to the Vikings’ official website.
McCarthy also spoke about playing in the state of Michigan again, after serving as the Michigan Wolverines’ starting quarterback in college and winning a national championship with the program.
“I love this state. I love everything that went into cultivating and crafting who I am as an individual, who I am as a football player,” McCarthy said. “And it’s just something that I wanted to show tribute to.”
“J.J. made one of the best throws of the day when we absolutely needed it,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said of his young quarterback, who connected with Jalen Nailor to seal the game.
“I think just his overall demeanor is such a positive throughout the game,” O’Connell said about the 22-year-old McCarthy. “He just seems to — if anything, sometimes, he gets really excited. He’s competitive. This guy’s a winner. And he’s now – twice this year – really found ways to win under some unique circumstances on the road in the NFC North. This is a tough place to come play.”
Still, McCarthy knows he has room for improvement.
“I’m happy that we got the win, but I’m not proud, to be honest with you. There’s a lot of meat on the bone, and I feel like I could have played a lot better. But coming into this environment and controlling my emotions, controlling kind of my temperament going into it – I was proud of that.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.