It wasn't a perfect performance, but it didn't need to be.

It's practice, after all.

The first of two joint practices with New England on Wednesday returned eight former Vikings players, including longtime starters Stefon Diggs and Garrett Bradbury, to their old stomping grounds. It provided an extra competitive setting, with some unscouted looks, for both teams to keep working out the kinks.

It also placed 2024 top-10 draft picks J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye under heightened scrutiny, on adjacent fields against respective first-team defenses that were pinning their ears back to pass rush.

How did they fare? Fine overall, each with some shaky passes that were maybe forgotten about due to other impressive moments. Maye, for instance, hit TreVeyon Henderson for a long TD in a 2-minute drill.

McCarthy turned in a sharp sequence in the clutch, too.

Alec Lewis of The Athletic on Wednesday recapped the young passer's performance toward the end of practice: McCarthy found T.J. Hockenson over the middle then executed a screen pass. Momentum stopped there, however, as negative plays piled and adversity crept in, cueing a third-and-long situation.

Sensing trouble and the weight of the down, Lewis described McCarthy escaping through the pocket and galloping up the right sideline for an important scramble. He wrote, "The money play was next — the one the offensive coaches are likely to celebrate behind the scenes. It was fourth down, and McCarthy, facing pressure from the middle, ripped an in-breaker to receiver Jordan Addison to convert the first."

It wasn't perfect – but didn't need to be because McCarthy will improve from it.

Lewis pointed out McCarthy wasn't spotless Wednesday:

He sailed a pass intended for receiver Jalen Nailor during an early 7-on-7 situation; the throw was intercepted. Once, Hockenson snatched a pass that McCarthy would have admitted wasn't accurate enough. On another snap, two Patriots linebackers walked up to the line of scrimmage; McCarthy changed the play but was eventually engulfed in the pocket by what felt like a tidal wave. Another time, McCarthy hurled a deep ball toward Nailor into double coverage. The pass fell short.

Lewis also detailed the positives:

McCarthy seemed dialed in early. He found Addison on a comeback route in one of the first 7-on-7 snaps and came back to Addison on an intermediate throw two plays later. Maybe the most encouraging sign was his quick trigger. There were a few would-be sacks, but McCarthy rarely held the ball. Seeing the field does not seem to be an issue.

The general experience of Wednesday's session should help McCarthy shine brighter on Thursday.

Check out Lewis' entire review of the first joint practice with the Patriots here.

X Factor to consider

A quick Google search punches out a couple similar but different definitions for the term "X factor," including this: A variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome.

In Vikings-speak, it's easy to identify McCarthy as the team's ultimate X factor.

The 22-year-old quarterback has played 42 preseason snaps since he was drafted 10th overall in 2024. That's the extent of his NFL game experience. In three-and-a-half weeks, he will make his regular season debut on Monday Night Football at Chicago. So, yeah, his performance then and after will be impactful.

It's definitely possible for a group to feature more than one X factor, though.

We think Minnesota has several – on both sides of the ball – from fellow 2024 first-rounder Dallas Turner, who is tracking to emerge as a greater threat off the edge and supplement production from Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, to Jalen "Speedy" Nailor, who is likely to take on a bigger workload at the start of the year and will try to star in Jordan Addison's stead as he serves a suspension.

On a really good team, X factors can be a dime a dozen.

Two outlets this week mentioned X factors for the Vikings that aren't McCarthy (but of course should aid him as he navigates a full season). ESPN selected the run game; CBS Sports singled out RB Jordan Mason.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN explained "the ascendance of first-time starter J.J. McCarthy will necessitate a bigger shift" away from O'Connell's pass-happy ways in 2022-23. Last season showed an increased focus on softening defenses via the ground attack, but 2025 has more promise thanks to revamped personnel.

With Mason working in tandem with Aaron Jones, Sr., and behind an offensive line with three new starters, it seems possible for Minnesota to rank better than 25^th in rushing EPA like it did last season.

Seifert predicted 11 wins as the Vikings ceiling in this story, and noted McCarthy has developed in training camp, "but counting on him to be a 4,000-yard passer in his first season seems unrealistic."

CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin recently expanded on Mason’s X factor potential, writing the following:

The Vikings quietly added Mason via trade with the 49ers, plucking San Francisco's top Christian McCaffrey fill-in for what appears to be a meaty role. Jones is still the clear starter in the backfield, but O'Connell seems intent on spelling the speedy veteran with Mason's more physical approach.

We got a short but solid introduction to Mason's game-day frolicking when he rushed four times for 20 yards in Saturday's exhibition victory over the Texans. He was targeted once in the passing game, as well.

Afterwards, McCarthy shared he has "all the confidence in the world" in the 5-foot-11, 223-pound rumbler. His power is a nice stylistic parallel to Jones' burst, supplying the backfield with great versatility.

Mason has averaged 17.3 carries and 88.5 yards rushing in eight career games playing at least 25 snaps on offense. For what it's worth, Jones handled 40-plus offensive snaps nine times in his age 30 campaign.

Suffice to say, coupling Mason and Jones, and the o-line's push in the run game may be X factors in 2025.

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