{"id":274177,"date":"2025-11-06T01:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T01:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/274177\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T01:40:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T01:40:09","slug":"vikings-qb-j-j-mccarthy-explains-alter-ego-viral-glare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/274177\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy explains alter ego, viral glare"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kevin SeifertNov 5, 2025, 07:43 PM ET<\/p>\n

Close<\/a>Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.<\/p>\n

EAGAN, Minn. — J.J. McCarthy<\/a> seemed to have an edge throughout his triumphant return Sunday as the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>‘ quarterback. On multiple occasions during the Vikings’ 27-24 victory over the Detroit Lions<\/a>, and in one viral moment in the postgame locker room, McCarthy’s normally joyous face was scrunched into a mean mug.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Wednesday with reporters, McCarthy acknowledged his new game-day persona. He referred to it by a name — “Nine,” a reference to his jersey number — and said it is a product of the anger built up over missing 23 of his first 25 NFL games because of injury. McCarthy missed all of his rookie season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee and five games this season because of a high right ankle sprain.<\/p>\n

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“It really kind of started to show up this year,” he said, “and it came about last year during IR. Just never had a full season, where you want to be out there so freaking bad, but you can’t. It was just this built-up anger that was kind of ready to just explode, and I chose to harness it instead of letting it go into a self-destructive kind of way.”<\/p>\n

The Vikings have won two of McCarthy’s three starts this season. He accounted for three touchdowns in each of the wins, in Week 1 over the Chicago Bears<\/a> and then Sunday against the Lions.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, McCarthy was caught staring intensely at coach Kevin O’Connell as he gave a postgame speech.<\/p>\n

pure dawg \ud83d\udd25@jjmccarthy09<\/a> | @Vikings<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uXxMDALN9m<\/a><\/p>\n

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O’Connell joked Wednesday that he has learned to “get the hell out of the way for my own personal safety” when addressing McCarthy during those moments.<\/p>\n

“I kind of love feeding that wolf,” McCarthy said, “because my entire life at [the University of Michigan], there was a smiley face on my hand, and [if] you smile, and you have fun, you’re going to play better and all that — which is true. But I also think there’s a lot of power that comes from that built-up anger that you can transmute into your performance.”<\/p>\n