J.J. McCarthy saw his first preseason action in a 20-10 win over the Houston Texans, with the second-year quarterback going 4 of 7 on his pass attempts for 30 passing yards. Nonetheless, does McCarthy face pressure heading into Year 1 as a starter?
After the Vikings made the playoffs with Sam Darnold, Minnesota let the quarterback walk to clear a path for McCarthy. Still, CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan believes that taking over a 14-win team comes with pressure to ensure the team doesn't go backwards after an impressive 2024 season.
"J.J. McCarthy is expected to elevate this team," Sullivan said on CBS Sports HQ. "... There's a lot of pressure on this kid, but we have seen him perform at high levels, winning a national championship at the collegiate level. I think he's equipped for it.
"The Minnesota Vikings certainly have enough talent around him and a coaching staff that can help cater to a young quarterback, but it's all going to rest on whether or not McCarthy can actually perform it and raise the stakes."
Usually, rookies are allowed to make mistakes as they navigate life as an NFL starting quarterback. However, any blunders from McCarthy could be costly in the long term as the Vikings probably see themselves as a playoff team, and they cannot afford these errors, especially in a tightly contested NFC North.
Moreover, if Darnold performs well with the Seattle Seahawks and McCarthy struggles in his first year as a starter, there will be second-guessing as to whether the Vikings made the right move for a team so close to winning the division and that was a playoff team last season.
The question for McCarthy will be whether he can handle this team's playoff expectations for this season. As Sullivan stated, the former Michigan quarterback can rise to the occasion and perform under pressure to meet the playoff expectations.