First, no one expected Jefferson to fall when his feet got tangled up with cornerback Marlon Humphrey after the ball had already left McCarthy’s hand. Second …
“We’re going to be aggressive,” O’Connell said. “We’re going to try to get Justin Jefferson and J.J. chances because part of the growth and development is we got to let them play a little bit as well. We’re trying to figure out that balance.”
The bad news: McCarthy’s journey will have more hiccups. The good news: He doesn’t seem to be a guy who will let short-term failure — like eight misfires to Jefferson — defeat the possibility of their long-term success as the faces of this franchise.
“One-on-one, and I have the greatest receiver in the world,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t see him fall. It’s just one of those things, but 10 times out of 10 I’m going to give him the shot.”
So, yeah, Vikings Nation, the double-doink stings. But it’s not a total loss if McCarthy gains experience the hard way, which is typically the way young NFL quarterbacks, even the good ones, learn.