The Phoenixity of J.J. McCarthy's First NFL Start

McCarthy's first start with the Vikings was the stuff of legend.

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Early Christian writer Lactantius described the life cycle of the legendary phoenix in his poem De ave phoenice. The English translation, posted by Dr. Ophelia Eryn Hostetter, describes the cyclical death and rebirth of the phoenix:

The origins of the legend of the undying phoenix are traced back to Ancient Egypt, where Greek scholar Herodotus described the legend in the fifth century BC. Predating Herodotus’ work, the Greek poet Hesiod was found to have referenced the phoenix in his eighth-century BC work the Precepts of Chiron, which is regarded as the earliest clear mention of the phoenix.

In modern times, we believe the bird most closely resembling the phoenix is the male golden pheasant’s beautiful plumage:

A wild J.J. McCarthy.

Still, the myth of the phoenix resonates to this day, with the bird’s fiery death and subsequent rebirth inspiring overcoming failure and becoming better for that experience. The phoenix is ubiquitous across culture, like in the eponymous track on Deströyer 666’s 2000 album Phoenix Rising:

Deströyer 666 - Phoenix Rising

In the Minnesota Vikings’ thrilling 27-24 Monday Night Football victory over the Chicago Bears, we see a clear parallel to the story of the phoenix. To J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings' second year, unproven, untested QB, Soldier Field’s lighting was like a heat lamp during the first half, consistently raising the temperature, as McCarthy floundered in his first start.

Then, early in the third quarter, McCarthy metaphorically burst into flames when he tossed up a pick-six to Nahshon Wright against the Bears’ blitz.

But from the ashes, it now feels like a legend has arisen. McCarthy led the team to three four-quarter TDs and a comeback victory. Out of the flames emerged an eagle-like bird, resplendent.

The whiplash of that action made for an extremely entertaining game day. But does the story play out as neatly with post-mortem dissection? After watching the tape, I think so. Let’s go through the lows, because there certainly were lows, and highs of McCarthy’s NFL debut.

I’m not sure it’s possible to do an autopsy on a phoenix, but here’s my best attempt.

Looking for Help

McCarthy certainly deserves blame for the Vikings' offense floundering early, but I wanted to note that it wasn’t all on him. There were some critical plays where he was let down. Of the Vikings’ nine drives before their first TD, three ended due to mistakes outside of McCarthy’s control.

The first was on the Vikings’ first FG drive. The Vikings have third and 8, and a TD would tie the game. The Bears play man coverage, and McCarthy knows where he wants to go – to his superstar WR, Justin Jefferson.

Displaying nice anticipation, McCarthy releases the ball right as Jefferson turns his head around, and he throws a good ball. The throw may look low, but that’s a good thing in this case. McCarthy’s goal is to put the ball where only his guy can catch it, and still past the sticks for a first down. He does exactly that, but Jefferson uncharacteristically lets the ball right through his hands, leading to an incomplete pass.

On the next set of downs, McCarthy found himself targeting Jefferson again. On the play, TJ Hockenson, who appears to be the first read, seems to be a little late getting out of his route, and McCarthy has to move on. He finds Jefferson over the middle and completes the pass.

But there’s a problem. Jefferson ran his route short of the sticks. On the All-22 angle, you can clearly see Hockenson set up at the 35-yard line, while Jefferson sets up at the 33. In this type of situation, as a receiver, you must get a first down.

You have leeway to set up short of the sticks if you can get upfield and past the defense, but ideally, you get enough depth that it’s not an issue. McCarthy must implicitly trust Jefferson to succeed on this play, so it’s a good decision, but Jefferson messes up. The best WR in the NFL had three uncharacteristic mistakes in this game, including another drop we’ll talk about later.

When the final major error the Vikings’ supporting cast made happened, it felt like it just wasn’t the team’s day. They were still barely in the game, but hope was distant after McCarthy’s pick-six. Not one, but two drives later, this play felt like the final nail in a coffin that was already shut.

McCarthy had finally found an open receiver on third down, Adam Thielen on a curl route. The ball is a little high, but you could argue Thielen doesn’t need to jump. He does, and grabs the ball with both hands. Tyrique Stevenson, however, has another idea and hits Thielen hard in the back. Thielen loses control, and the Vikings have to punt once again:

Let’s move on to plays McCarthy himself was responsible for.