The Minnesota Vikings quarterback battle has been one of the biggest stories for training camp to this point. Friday gave another chance for the quarterbacks to showcase their skills. J.J. McCarthy had the better day on Friday according to statistics, but SKOR’s Judd Zulgad pointed to one metric that worked in Murray’s favor.
McCarthy had a strong day on Friday. Bring Me The Sports’ Will Ragatz reported that McCarthy was able to connect with several of his receivers. Dante Fleming was on the receiving end of one of his throws. McCarthy also managed to make some throws on the shorter end of things, such as one to Jordan Mason. McCarthy particularly excelled in half-field drills as he was able to find wide receiver Myles Price.
With that being said, Murray had once particular instance that stood out to Zulgad.
“Murray again had an edge in first-team reps. He took 17 with the first team; McCarthy took 10. And that is one of the indicators in my opinion that the race is getting closer and closer to being called in favor of Murray.”
Both Vikings QBs Did Not Have Strong Days
Despite this analysis, Murray did not have the best day. He went 8-for-10 overall, 5-for-5 and 11-for-11, and 3-for-5 and seven-on-seven. This brings his statistical totals to 73-for- 110 on throws.
In the meantime, McCarthy went 12-for-14 overall, including 8-for-10 in 11-on-11 drills. He completed all four of his passes in seven-on-seven drills. This brought McCarthy’s camp total to 70-for-103.
This quarterback camp race has taken all sorts of twists and turns over the past couple of weeks. In the beginning of the race, it looked like McCarthy had the edge. Murray initially struggled with the ones on the first Thursday of camp. However, by the weekend, Murray began to find his footing. That Saturday was his first real definitive day on the practice field, and the veteran quarterback began to get more comfortable with the offense. Murray’s deep ball has been highly praised throughout the course of practice as well, and that is certainly something to keep in mind.
Vikings Race Coming Down To Wire
Again, no definitive decision has been made regarding the quarterback battle. Both quarterbacks have had strong days throughout the course of the past couple of weeks. That being said, it sounds as though Murray is really beginning to separate himself in this competition. McCarthy has given it a fair fight and has certainly given the Vikings organization something to think about.
Time will tell how this quarterback competition ends. However, it seems like Murray has the edge for now. The next big indicator will be how both quarterbacks play in preseason games. If McCarthy can play at a high level, then the decision may be more difficult than expected. For now, though, it looks like Murray is really making his case to be the top quarterback for the Vikings this season. He was brought in to challenge McCarthy, with the idea that he could be a productive veteran if needed. Now, it’s becoming apparent that he is going to be able to make a statement in this quarterback room and be the stabilizing veteran that the Vikings have been desperately looking for at the position.
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