Souhan: J.J. McCarthy’s best is good enough for now for the Vikings

Never before had J.J. McCarthy thrown three touchdown passes — or zero interceptions — in an NFL game.

Never before had McCarthy posted a passer rating of 100 or better or completed more than 65% of his passes.

Never before had McCarthy won an NFL game easily, without resorting to improbable fourth-quarter heroics.

On Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, McCarthy played his best game as a pro, leading the Vikings to a 31-0 victory over Washington.

His final numbers: 16-for-23 for 163 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, a 69.6 completion percentage and a 129.2 passer rating.

You can downplay his performance because it came against a bad team, or because the game was virtually meaningless, or because McCarthy didn’t get the ball frequently to Justin Jefferson, or make big plays downfield.

Rationalizing his success Sunday would be a mistake. This was the breakthrough the Vikings have been waiting for all season.

All season, experts and novices alike have dissected his throwing mechanics. What McCarthy demonstrated Sunday is that, sometimes, mechanics are related to mindset.

McCarthy was more composed. Not surprisingly, he threw the ball more accurately. “In my opinion, I think it was just playing,” he said.

That’s an athlete’s way of saying he didn’t overthink the game.

McCarthy said quarterbacks coach Josh McCown put a refreshing thought in his head early in the week, and coach Kevin O’Connell reiterated the point Saturday.

“The big message of last night’s team meeting was to play for that 16-year-old self, that 16-year-old version of yourself,” McCarthy said. “Understand what got you into this game, what made you fall in love with this game, regardless of the record, regardless of where we are in the season, just go out there, have fun, play fast, play free. And I feel like we all did that today.”

The Vikings weren’t able to keep veteran quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed with the Colts. On Sunday, Jones, who had slumped and injured his leg in recent weeks, hurt his Achilles tendon and could be out for the season as Indianapolis lost for the fourth time in five games.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, whom the Vikings chose not to re-sign, has played well this season, but not well enough to erase memories of him destroying the Vikings in their biggest games of the 2024 season.

The Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, who was the best of the 2024 quarterback draft class last season, had trouble against the Vikings defense and left the game after aggravating an injury to his left arm. He’s a wonderful player, but he has played in only seven games this year because of injuries and the Commanders are 3-10.

McCarthy hasn’t proved himself yet, but on Sunday he made conversations about his future much more interesting.

McCarthy isn’t a finished product, and beating a bad team at home doesn’t erase his previous struggles, but he’s a difficult guy not to like. When he displays composure, his talent is obvious.

If nothing else, McCarthy gave Vikings’ veterans reason to believe in him. “It’s something that I feel like should have happened a lot earlier,” McCarthy said. “I absolutely love those guys for the grace and patience they’ve had with me.”