McCarthy’s misfires at QB stand out for the Vikings in a 13-3 preseason loss to the Ravens

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — J.J. McCarthy had an erratic start for the Minnesota Vikings, completing 5 of 10 passes for 81 yards in a 13-3 exhibition-game loss to Baltimore on Saturday, after undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano threw a touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester for the Ravens.

McCarthy played four series with the second-team offense before yielding to 11th-year veteran Carson Wentz, leaving the picture unclear about who will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Kyler Murray in the regular season.

The 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, who missed his rookie year while recovering from knee surgery and was limited by 10 starts last season because of multiple injuries, misfired to open receivers multiple times. After a 50-yard completion to Tai Felton midway through the first quarter, McCarthy threw too hard into the end zone twice for incompletions that forced a turnover on downs from the 1-yard line.

Tyler Loop made two ...