Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy's intensity has a name: 'I call him Nine'

MINNEAPOLIS — Defensive end Jonathan Greenard sees that “dog” in quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw called it “swagger.”

Right tackle Brian O’Neill joked that McCarthy was “crashing out” in the postgame locker room celebration, when after the Vikings’ 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions, McCarthy yelled, clenched both fists, flexed his arms downward and chest-bumped Greenard before moving around the room.

McCarthy’s intensity, in-game and postgame, has given the 4-4 Vikings a little jolt as his return from injury coincided with another NFC North victory.

“A switch that gets flipped,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “I call him Nine. Nine comes out, and I got to understand like, ‘O.K., he can’t be at his peak performance over 3 1/2 hours.’ I’ve got to find little ways on the sideline, get back to my breath, get back to my visualization that can kind of maintain that intense competitive stamina throughout the whole game.”

The Vikings are rallying around the raw emotion and work-in-progress playmaking of their 22-year-old franchise quarterback as McCarthy embarks on the second half of this season trying to do what he did in the second halves of his two NFC North road wins: finish strongly.

No other veteran quarterbacks are coming to help.

From trying to recruit Daniel Jones in March to signing Carson Wentz in August, the Vikings wanted a veteran to pair with McCarthy. Despite reportedly shopping around for an experienced arm before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, the Vikings didn’t make a move at any position.

“There were some calls,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah “did a really good job communicating and letting us know what some of the possibilities were, talking through those ... but nothing really materialized.”

The Vikings are moving forward with McCarthy and 24-year-old rookie backup Max Brosmer, a former Minnesota Gophers starter. John Wolford, a 30-year-old journeyman, joined the practice squad last week as the No. 3 quarterback.

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024 and a national champion at Michigan, played many games for the Wolverines with a smiley face drawn on his hand, which he said first came from a fan who told him he should always have fun.

But McCarthy then missed 20 of his first 22 NFL games because of injury, which he said created an anger he wants to harness.

“You have fun, you’re going to play better, which is true,” McCarthy said. “But I also think that there’s a lot of power that comes in that built-up anger you can transmute into your performance.”

O’Connell said he knows to “get out of the way” during McCarthy’s postgame moments.

“For my own personal safety,” O’Connell said. “You look around the locker room, I know I did, not only when I’m talking about him but after when he’s saying a few words, and you just see the guys look at him. They see J.J. McCarthy being himself. That’s all I ever thought quarterbacks in this league needed to do.”

Entering his fourth start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens (3-5), McCarthy and coaches seek consistency after he completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

After the opening two touchdown drives, McCarthy completed 9 of 18 throws for 75 yards and the pick, showing his room for growth as a passer. But in the meantime, his mobility has been a critical asset as he also ran for a 9-yard touchdown.

“He’s dangerous running,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters. “He’s dangerous throwing on the run for sure. He’s a real aggressive player, high-energy type of player.”

McCarthy said he can do better throwing while on the move. He sailed a pass over wide receiver Justin Jefferson’s head while fleeing pressure in the second quarter.

“Even though on the run it was like 1 for 7 based on the last game,” McCarthy said, “they know I have that ability. So, I’ve just got to be ready when those opportunities come up.”

Coaches continue to focus on McCarthy’s throwing tempo, which like his on-field demeanor can also be pretty intense.

“The understanding of just the amount of RPMs you have to put on the throw,” O’Connell said, “and he’s got the ability, high-level, to throw the ball very hard.”

“If you’re not going to throw it hard,” O’Connell added, “then you have to adjust for that and the type of throw you use. I think it’s all part of his development. It’s all normal. The best things about J.J. are in the biggest moment of the game.”

O’Connell commended McCarthy’s 16-yard, third-down completion to wide receiver Jalen Nailor to ice the game in Detroit with less than two minutes left. McCarthy’s throw earned O’Connell’s approval, especially after O’Connell’s remarks to the QB before the play were about the situation — telling him to take a sack if he needs — instead of technique pointers.

“There wasn’t a lot of fundamental encouragement before I called that play,” O’Connell said. “It was, ‘Let him go be at his best when it’s required.’”

McCarthy’s best has helped win the first two of three NFC North games on the road.

“I feel like I’m growing,” McCarthy said. “That’s the number one metric that I focus on is growth: Was I better today than I was yesterday? And there’s a lot of room to grow, a lot more growth to happen being 22 years old.”

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