The Minnesota Vikings chose not to bring Sam Darnold back because they believed J.J. McCarthy was ready to take over. After losing his rookie year to a torn meniscus, Year 2 hasn’t gone any smoother. The offense has looked static for most of the season, and running back Aaron Jones may have admitted that it’ll only get even more predictable.

“Where everybody may not have the same deeper understanding of each play concept is where we’ve kinda made it…Made it less…Yeah, I guess in a way, dumbed it down, kinda took the meat of it off, but you’re still getting a lot of everything though, so it’s give and take,” Jones said while highlighting the Vikings’ playbook has essentially been “dumbed down.”

After going two straight games without a touchdown, Minnesota clearly felt something needed to change. With the Washington Commanders coming in for Week 14, the staff seems to be trimming the offense down in hopes that cleaner concepts will finally get it moving again.

Following last week’s rough showing against Seattle, Kevin O’Connell promised he’d take a hard look at himself as a play caller and figure out where he could simplify things. This appears to be his version of that fix, designing a smaller menu with the hope that execution improves. On paper, it may not be the most inspiring solution, but it’s hard to blame them for trying.

The Vikings rank 28th in scoring, 29th in passing, 25th in rushing, and sit 29th in EPA per play, per reports. When the metrics look like that, almost everything is on the table.

McCarthy didn’t play in the Seahawks game after showing concussion symptoms following Week 12 against Green Bay. But that hasn’t stopped O’Connell from leaning fully into the idea of a simplified system tailored to his young quarterback. And now we might see the experiment in real time as McCarthy has cleared the concussion protocol.

J.J. McCarthy clears concussion protocol

Yes, McCarthy has finally cleared concussion protocol and will be back in the starting lineup Sunday when Washington comes to town. The Vikings didn’t even list him with a game-status designation, a sign they expect him to go.

Kevin O’Connell made it clear this week that he’s shifting his approach with the young quarterback. O’Connell now wants McCarthy focused on something simpler: making sound decisions and avoiding the kind of open-field hits that knocked him out twice already. First the ankle sprain, then the concussion.

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“He knows a lot of these principles that we’ve talked about. I want him to have a clear head and a clear mind to just go play, but play with an understanding of the decisions that I make with the ball in my hand, the decisions that I make as a passer, and as we’ve learned, very important as a runner to protect himself and make sure that we can keep him in there.”

Even with a streamlined offense, McCarthy admitted he tends to overthink, which is never ideal for a quarterback about to face a Washington pass rush that gets upfield in a hurry.

And the reality is, his numbers paint the picture of a young passer still finding his footing. Through six starts, he’s 2–4, completing only 54.1% of his throws for 154.8 yards per game with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions. There have been flashes, but they’ve come in short bursts.

Now the Vikings are essentially telling him to stop worrying about the details and just play. Sunday becomes a measuring stick, the first of five remaining games that will likely determine whether McCarthy is the long-term answer or a placeholder headed for another offseason of uncertainty.