By the end of last season, the Minnesota Vikings had three quarterbacks on their roster: Sam Darnold, who started every game during a 14-3 regular season, Daniel Jones, whom the team signed last November after he wasreleased by the New York Giants, and rookie J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire year after tearing his meniscus.
After Darnoldlost his last two starts— a regular-season game that decided who won the NFC North, and a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams — the Vikings determined he wasn't the long-term answer at the position. Minnesota also didn't see enough from Jones in practice to retain him.
Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, while Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Minnesota, meanwhile, handed the keys of the franchise to McCarthy, who in his last collegiate game completed only 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards.
In Week 1,the Vikings looked like geniusesafter McCarthy led a come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Bears.
Entering Week 12, Minnesota may be second-guessing its decision, as Darnold and Jones have their respective teams near the top of the standings while the Vikings are floundering — with McCarthy a significant part of the problem.
"Coming in here, I was taught how to play quarterback in a very different way," McCarthytold reporters this weekabout his transition to being an NFL starter. "And that's expected going into the league, going into any new team, any new system."
He added that injuries — McCarthy also missed time this season with a high ankle sprain — have robbed him of valuable practice time. As a result, Minnesota's starter is learning on the fly.
"It's really hard," McCarthy said. "You're rewiring neurological pathways, and that's not something that happens overnight. Just understanding and giving myself that grace, that patience, that I might not have it today, but it's something that I'm gonna continue to strive after, day after day, rep after rep, and get to the place where we all want me to be."
A learning curve for a young quarterback is nothing new, but the Vikings' struggles are tougher to swallow after the team was tied for the second-most wins in the NFL in 2024. Minnesota is currently 4-6 and on the outside of the playoffs in the NFC. McCarthy is 2-3 as a starter.
What stings even worse for the Vikings is how well Darnold and Jones have played for their new teams. The Seahawks are 7-3, tied for the second-best record in the NFC, while the Colts are 8-2, a half game out of first place in the AFC.
Compared to Darnold and Jones, McCarthy has thrown far fewer touchdowns, has been more turnover-prone, and has a much worse passer rating.
Minnesota, of course, was likely thinking long term by opting for McCarthy. And Darnold and Jones will still have to prove themselves in the postseason, while their teams will also have to decide how much money to commit to them in the near future. (McCarthy will be relatively more cost-controlled for three more seasons on his rookie contract.)
For now, though, the Vikings have a built-to-win team with a star receiver in Justin Jefferson, a competitive defense coached by Brian Flores, but an offense averaging fewer points (21.8 compared to 25.4) and throwing for fewer yards (193.0 compared to 237.8) than it did a year ago.
It's hard to imagine Minnesota wouldn't have been better off with either of the other two quarterbacks that used to be on the team.
What we're watching for in Week 12
Colts (8-2) at Chiefs (5-5):Kansas City has lost two straight games; quarterback Patrick Mahomes has never lost three consecutive games in the same season. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has seven turnovers and 12 sacks in his last two games.
Steelers (6-4) at Bears (7-3):The Bears have a plus-16 turnover margin that leads the NFL, the most of any team through 11 games since the 2019 Patriots. Pittsburgh's 18 takeaways this season, meanwhile, rank second most.
Patriots (9-2) at Bengals (3-7):Patriots rookie TreVeyon Henderson is trying to join Mike Anderson, in 2000, and Curtis Martin, in 1995, as the only rookies in the Super Bowl era to score two or more rushing touchdowns in three consecutive games. The Bengals will be without star receiver Ja'Marr Chase due to a one-game suspension.
Giants (2-9) at Lions (6-4):New York's 11-game losing streak on the road dates to 2024. Worse, it is 0-4 this season on the road when leading by double digits. The Lions, last year's No. 1 seed in the NFC, are currently outside of the playoffs.
Vikings (4-6) at Packers (6-3-1):Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy has thrown an interception in each of his first five career games. If that streak extends to six, he'll join Blake Bortles, DeShone Kizer and Zach Mettenberger as the only quarterbacks to start their careers that way in the past 20 years.
Seahawks (7-3) at Titans (1-9):Tennessee has lost nine consecutive games at home. These quarterbacks are looking for a rebound: Sam Darnold is coming off a four-interception game, while Cam Ward has yet to throw multiple touchdowns in a game.
Jets (2-8) at Ravens (5-5):Baltimore's defense has allowed 14.3 points per game since Week 7, the best mark in the league. It has put the team in position to become only the fifth club in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting 1-5. The others? The 1970 Bengals, 2015 Chiefs, 2018 Colts and 2020 Washington.
Jaguars (6-4) at Cardinals (3-7):Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett is coming off an NFL-record 47 completions last week. The Jaguars currently occupy the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC.
Browns (2-8) at Raiders (2-8):Shedeur Sanderswill make his first career start, and in the process become the club's 42nd starting quarterback since 1999.
Eagles (8-2) at Cowboys (4-5-1):Dak Prescott needs 160 passing yards to pass Tony Romo as the Cowboys' all-time franchise leader.
Falcons (3-7) at Saints (2-8):The Falcons have lost five straight games in their division, while the Saints are trying to avoid their worst start since 1999.
Buccaneers (6-3) at Rams (8-2):Davante Adams has a league-best 10 receiving touchdowns; if he finishes as the league leader, he will become the first player in history to win the receiving touchdowns crown for three different teams (previously, 2020 in Green Bay, and 2022 in Las Vegas).
Panthers (6-5) at 49ers (7-4) on Monday:Carolina owns a winning record through 11 games for the first time since 2018. The six wins are as many as quarterback Bryce Young produced in his first two seasons combined.