Vikings film review: These three factors appeared to help J.J. McCarthy play faster

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell more than once referenced the “illusion of complexity” that his offensive playbook would bring when he was hired during the 2022 offseason.

That phrase, describing in part how varied formations, motions and shifts can disguise familiar plays, could still be applied to Sunday’s 31-0 rout of the Washington Commanders even as young quarterback J.J. McCarthy operated what coaches and players have called a simplified version of the offense.

“There was some simplification,” said tight end T.J. Hockenson, who added that “coaches game up with a really good game plan. We were in a lot of different personnel [groupings] early. We were in 22, 13, 11 ... 21. Just keeping the defense guessing ... and [McCarthy] was able to play with rhythm and timing.”

McCarthy relayed the first three play calls to three different groups of teammates in the huddle.

O’Connell then threw some basic curveballs with the play calls: a 3-yard run from a passing personnel (three receivers) and a 9-yard throw from run personnel (three tight ends).

During the crucial first half, the Vikings had McCarthy simplifying his footwork as he mostly threw from shotgun and handed off from under center.

“We had some different looks early on,” O’Connell said postgame, “some changeups to some things we’d done ... and just tried to get off to a fast start and get a little momentum in the game, allow our defense to play with a lead and try to force some turnovers.”

They did not try to leverage many of those runs with deep, play-action dropbacks and vertical routes. That can require the precise steps and in-rhythm processing that has evaded McCarthy so far.

“It wasn’t necessarily explosive and throwing the ball all over the yard, but very efficient and I was proud of the guys with the way we did that,” O’Connell said.

Coaches have adjusted the offense throughout McCarthy’s seven starts.

As McCarthy has struggled with consistent footwork, he has been asked to worry less about his feet by putting him in shotgun.

He took at least 80% of his dropbacks out of shotgun during three straight losses from Weeks 10-12, according to Sports Info Solutions. That was an increase from the 66-73% shotgun rates in his first three starts.

Just one of his 15 passing plays came under center.

Perhaps that helped McCarthy find a groove by the time he reached critical situations — third downs, red zone — in which he thrived. The Vikings converted six straight third downs in the first half, finishing 6-for-11 (54.5%).

“The situational football is probably not going to be talked about,” O’Connell said. “It has to pair together with being situationally sound if you’re going to play a physical, run-style game. ... That’s where I thought J.J. was phenomenal.”

In the videos below, you will see McCarthy convert two key situations from the shotgun, including the 2-yard touchdown to tight end T.J. Hockenson on fourth down.

“Justin Jefferson does an unbelievable job releasing outside on a cloud corner, which opens the window for T.J.,” O’Connell said, “but J.J. has to trust that thing and locate that football. Accuracy in the low red zone put us in the end zone right there.”

“That was not his first progression,” O’Connell said, “Jefferson got taken away, and he throws a pretty nice, leveled kind of drive throw to the void and realizes Jordan Addison is going to go get that ball for him like he did, which was a critical play.”

McCarthy has not yet been effective as a play-action passer, a core principle of the Vikings offense as coaches preach the “marriage” of the run and the pass. For instance, a successful fullback lead dive run might be followed up by a fake handoff out of the same formation. That can require the quarterback to execute an in-rhythm, seven-step dropback and find the open man through a progression of targets.

In the first half, McCarthy attempted just one play-action pass (that was also his only under-center dropback): an overthrow to Addison in which he was hit while throwing.

Coaches mostly kept McCarthy’s feet stable and eyes fixated on the defenders in front of him while building a comfortable lead.

After halftime, O’Connell put McCarthy back under center for valuable, in-game reps of those play-action concepts that he’ll need to execute to be this franchise’s quarterback.

“Come off that kind of quick, play-action fake,” O’Connell said. “If he’s got his eligible at the top of his drop, pull the trigger; be decisive. But if you don’t, get your eyes backside and we caught man coverage on that and J.O. was able to slip off a block and be uncovered.”

This Vikings’ Week 14 approach had plenty of quick-passing concepts. Like a “smoke” route to Jefferson, who simply turned toward the quarterback after the snap and caught a pass against off coverage. Jefferson also took a screen for 13 yards to convert a long third down.

McCarthy also worked quicker when Jefferson — the frequent No. 1 read — was covered, including his first throw that found tight end Ben Sims on a curl route for 9 yards.

By the end, McCarthy’s 2.35-second average time to throw ranked as the second-fastest passer in Week 14 behind only Detroit’s Jared Goff (2.33), per Pro Football Focus.

That felt lightyears faster than McCarthy’s season average entering the game, which was 2.94 seconds (40th).

Sam Darnold’s 2.91-second average ranked 42nd in 2024, when he was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers at faking a handoff, turning around and launching a deep ball. McCarthy has not consistently been able to turn his back to a defense, turn around and throw with decisiveness that matches the timing of routes.

“When J.J.’s at his best, there’s conviction,” O’Connell said. “Fundamentals and technique pair together when there’s conviction.”

Not all quick passes have to be shallow, and Washington’s forgiving defense gave the Vikings plenty of throwing lanes downfield.

Oliver’s first touchdown, an 18-yard catch, was a quick throw on a vertical “seam” route. From a spread formation with an empty backfield, both Oliver and Hockensen ran vertical seam routes that knifed between the deep-third zones (Cover 3) that Commanders coach Dan Quinn has been known to run.

Washington’s center-field safety drifts toward Hockenson’s side and McCarthy makes a quick decision to target Oliver on the other side.