The confidence of J.J. McCarthy replaces the grind of Kirk Cousins

I remain convinced that for as much as salary implications played a role in the Vikings moving on from Kirk Cousins, so did lingering doubts within the organization that he was “the guy.”

Such a designation is hard to define but easy to see. It is earned over a body of work, but specific moments do stand out. And one of the defining moments of Cousins’ time in Minnesota was that last-minute drive in the playoffs two seasons ago.

The Vikings were near midfield with a little over two minutes left, down seven — in pretty good shape to tie the score and keep their charmed season alive. Two incompletions (one of them a drop by K.J. Osborn that gets forgotten), with a short completion to Dalvin Cook sandwiched in between, set up 4th-and-8.

Cousins was pressured and threw short to T.J. Hockenson, who gained just three yards when the Vikings needed eight. Season over.

Re-imagining that play has become somewhat of an unhealthy hobby of mine. I don’t know what rookie first round pick J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ QB of the future, would have done in that exact moment.

But I have a guess based on what we have seen from him since he was drafted, and particularly based on his purple debut in Saturday’s preseason win over the Raiders — a game Andrew Krammer and I broke down on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

McCarthy has the swagger of a top-10 pick and a five-star college recruit. Though he didn’t have to carry Michigan to its national title, McCarthy has the arm and confidence to cut it loose in key moments. His greatest fault — or at least his biggest area of development — is learning when to check down instead of try to fit a ball into a tight window.

Cousins is the consummate pro, but he came to be one of the 15 best QBs in the world from a different route. He was more of an underdog, earning the job at Michigan State and then with Washington as fourth-round pick. Few QBs (if any) were going to outwork Cousins, and that ethic was one of his most admirable traits.

But his nature as a grinder and obsessive film-watcher meant that throwing into tight windows was uncomfortable. He tried to learn to take chances, but his reads inevitably led him to safer throws like the one that ended the season in 2022.

McCarthy, in relief of starter Sam Darnold on Saturday, threw an interception on his third attempt. What was his mindset after that pick?

“Have that goldfish memory,” McCarthy said, “to go back out there and have that sling it mentality, which is what I needed.”

He later threw two touchdown passes, including one on a deep ball that exemplified his aggressive nature.

“I just love seeing him come right back after the interception, still be aggressive and still stay true to footwork, timing, rhythm, where his eyes should be,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said.

It’s just one preseason game. Darnold did some very nice things in his one drive, too, and remains on track to be a capable bridge from Cousins to McCarthy.

From Point A to Point B in the Vikings’ QB journey, the biggest gain might be in the swagger that shows up in those must-have moments.