Vikings' J.J. McCarthy Explains 'Nine' Alter Ego After Viral Locker Room Video

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy divulged this week that an alter ego has been helping him succeed during his first season as a starting NFL QB.

McCarthy went viral this week on Inside the NFL when he was shown staring and nodding intensely before firing up his teammates as part of the postgame speech following Minnesota's 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions this past weekend:

On Wednesday, McCarthy explained his alter ego and why it is necessary to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.

"For me, I call him, 'Nine,' McCarthy said. "Nine comes out, and I got to understand, like, 'OK, he can't be at his peak performance throughout three and a half hours.' So how do I find little ways on the sideline to get back to my breath, get back to my visualization, that can kind of maintain that intense competitive stamina throughout the whole game. But yeah, it's just the pure will and determination to get the job done."

Named after his jersey number, "Nine" was seemingly a big help last week, as McCarthy helped the Vikes pull off a huge road upset over an NFC North foe in his first start since Week 2.

McCarthy had missed the previous five games due to an ankle injury, but he stepped up in Week 9, going 14-of-25 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 27 yards and a score.

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It was only McCarthy's third career start, as he missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.

McCarthy told Goessling that the frustration of having to sit out last season is essentially what created Nine, as it wasn't something he did during his two seasons as the starting quarterback at the University of Michigan.

"To be honest with you, it really kind of started to show up this year," McCarthy said. "It came about last year during IR. I 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, and it's unique. And I kind of love feeding that wolf, because my entire life at Michigan, it was a smiley face on my hand and smile, and, 'If you have fun, you're gonna 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."

McCarthy's previous approach helped him achieve a great deal of success in college, going 27-1 as a starter. That included a perfect 15-0 record and a national championship in his final season at Michigan.

The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but a knee injury suffered during the preseason landed him on injured reserve.

McCarthy sat, waited and learned, as Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth.

However, when Darnold left to sign with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, McCarthy was tabbed as the new starter.

McCarthy is 2-1 in his three starts so far this season, beating a pair of divisional rivals in the Chicago Bears and Lions. His stats don't leap off the page, as he has four touchdown passes and four picks, but he has found a way to rise to the occasion in big moments.

Coming off the biggest victory of his young NFL career, McCarthy will look to keep the momentum rolling Sunday when the Vikings host a Baltimore Ravens team led by two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.