The Green Bay Packers are scheduled for a tough divisional matchup on Sunday with the Minnesota Vikings playing with their season on the line. Falling another game back in the NFC North and wildcard pictures would all but officially end the season for the Vikings. Making the game pivotal for Minnesota, ensuring that the Packers will get their rival's absolute best shot. With that said, this isn't a team without its fair share of holes.
This includes the quarterback position, where second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been incredibly shaky. Out of 38 qualified quarterbacks, the second-year player ranks 35th with a 54.6 Pro Football Focus grade. Furthering this point is the signal caller's own words on his struggles, via The Athletic's Alec Lewis.
""Coming in here, I was taught how to play quarterback a very different way How hard is it to rewire? It's really hard. You're rewiring neurological pathways, and that's not something that happens overnight.""J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy's attempt to rewire his brain won't encourage Minnesota fans who are understandably concerned about the quarterback. On the flip side, it does serve as an exciting update for a Packers team that could badly use a resounding win. Things have reached a level of frustration that Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is already reporting that there has been chatter about current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones.
Packers Appear Poised to Benefit from Vikings' Clear QB Concerns
Even star receiver Justin Jefferson was caught showing visible frustration with Minnesota's quarterback. While the star receiver is outwardly saying all of the right things, there is no denying the clear issues with a quarterback who simply isn't delivering the football with any level of consistency.
Bringing us to yet another twist in the increasingly complicated situation with NFL legend Cris Carter beefing with McCarthy's quarterback coach, Greg Holcomb, in a very heated social media exchange. It was yet another knock against a quarterback who is quickly becoming more of a distraction than he is an asset. This is driven home by the negative comments made about attempting to rewire his brain to the new system.
This could be a legitimate excuse during your rookie season or at the start of your tenure. However, we are deep into the second year of McCarthy's career, and the young starter simply isn't showing the necessary improvements. As frustrating as this might be for Minnesota fans, it is an incredible opportunity for Green Bay in a week that is set up for the Packers to pick up a big win.
It is difficult to imagine that the defense of Jeff Hafley isn't going to feast on a quarterback who has this much negativity going on around him. Green Bay's pass rush is going to make life incredibly difficult, and there will be plenty of opportunities to create turnovers from a young starter who has yet to show himself capable of protecting the ball.
McCarthy has thrown 8 interceptions to only 6 touchdowns so far this season, headlining mounting frustrations. Frustrations that now serve as Green Bay's opportunity as the franchise looks to put pressure on the Bears and remain locked into the playoff picture.