The Chicago Bears have been rolling since week 3, winning 6 of 7 games, but they got off to a bumpy start to the season when they dropped their first two games. One of those games was against the Minnesota Vikings. We don’t need to revisit how poorly that fourth quarter went, but the Bears have an opportunity to exact revenge for the week one loss this week in Minneapolis.
A lot has changed since week one for both of these teams, so we sat down with Christopher Gates from the Daily Norseman one more time to find out what’s going on with JJ McCarthy, Kevin O’Connell, and the rest of the Vikings squad.
1. Since we last spoke before week one, it feels like you guys have had quite a roller coaster at quarterback. Do some Vikings fans think that Kevin O’Connell did a “soft benching” with JJ McCarthy, or does everyone believe he was truly injured?
The Vikings have had a roller coaster at quarterback since Fran Tarkenton retired, I think. I’m sure there is a section of Vikings fans who believe that O’Connell did “soft bench” J.J. McCarthy, but I think that’s a bunch of nonsense. For better or for worse, Kevin O’Connell’s future as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings is quite likely tied to the success or failure of J.J. McCarthy at the quarterback position. This franchise really hasn’t made very many attempts at developing a long-term solution at quarterback, and O’Connell made it clear that he wants the opportunity to have his guy in there. Throw in the fact that high ankle sprains are notoriously tricky injuries, and I think anyone who’s trying to peddle the “soft benching” story isn’t on board with the McCarthy selection in the first place.
2. How does JJ McCarthy look since he has returned from injury? There were some viral clips of Justin Jefferson not playing hard during the Vikings’ last game, and many were speculating it was because he hadn’t bought in on JJ McCarthy.
He’s looked like any other quarterback who’s started four career NFL games. He’s had some moments of real brilliance (and hasn’t always gotten help in those spots), and he’s had some moments that make you scratch your head and wonder if he’s ever actually played football before. There are plenty of times that you can see exactly what it is that O’Connell sees in McCarthy, and as he gains experience, those moments are (hopefully) going to come more frequently than the head-scratching ones. I know that Jefferson had a few moments last week against Baltimore that didn’t exactly cast him in a great light, but I don’t think he has any personal issues with McCarthy or anything like that. Jefferson’s already played with a bunch of different quarterbacks in Minnesota, and he can play a huge role in helping McCarthy’s development. I think he takes that pretty seriously, as he’s never given any real indications that he’s not happy with him until this past week.
3. What do you think of the JJ McCarthy “Nine” alter ego? Is this something that Vikings fans think is fun or a little odd for their QB1 to be doing?
The whole “Nine” thing is something that I think probably could have waited for a while. It’s like that old saying... if you’re weird and rich, you’re “eccentric,” but if you’re weird and not rich, you’re just “weird.” If McCarthy were 4-0 at this point instead of 2-2 and didn’t look wildly inconsistent, I’m sure that nobody would mind the whole “Nine” thing. I don’t really mind it, personally, but I also really don’t want it to get in the way of his development process. There are a lot of steps he needs to take before we start worrying about alter egos and things of that nature.
4. At 4-5, the Vikings certainly are still in the periphery of the playoff picture, but they haven’t left much room for error. How do you think Kevin O’Connell has done this year, and do you think the Vikings can still push for a playoff berth?
I still love Kevin O’Connell as a head coach, but this season, a lot of folks seem to have some real issues with him, a lot of which stem from his playcalling. He’s a great play designer, but there are times when he tries to get a little too cute and even more times when he abandons the run well before he needs to. Last week, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason were averaging right around six yards per carry, but somehow they only got 11 carries between the two of them while the quarterback, who’s only started 4 NFL games, was dropping back and throwing the ball 42 times. It’s baffling at times, to be honest. I still think he’s a really, really good coach, but at some point, he might have to look into getting some more input into the playcalling, at least.
5. The Vikings are favored in this one on Sunday. Do you agree with the point spread, and how do you think this game plays out?
I think the Vikings kind of know that if they lose this one, the competitive portion of their season is effectively over. A loss would put them three games behind Chicago in the division, and while that’s not insurmountable, it certainly isn’t a position that the Vikings want to find themselves in. I think the Vikings have a seriously bad taste in their mouths after last week’s game, and I think they’re going to get their collective fecal matter together enough to get themselves back to .500 with a win on Sunday. I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout or anything, because games between these two teams rarely are, but I think the Purple are going to pull this one out at home. We’ll say 24-20.