J.J. McCarthy has rough day, but the more alarming issue for the Vikings’ offense comes from where you wouldn’t expect it
The loss isn’t just on J.J. McCarthy.
The Minnesota Vikings should have beaten the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, but they kept shooting themselves in the foot in a 19-17 loss.
All eyes will be on the performance of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, which was objectively rough. He completed just 16 of 32 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His inconsistencies were a major factor in the Vikings’ loss, particularly the significant inconsistencies in his footwork.
The biggest reason why the Vikings didn’t win the game was the inconsistency on offense, but that wasn’t all McCarthy’s fault. We knew he would be inconsistent throughout the season, but this was something we didn’t expect.
Wide receiver performance is a major factor in Vikings’ loss
The Vikings have one of the best pass-catching groups in the NFL. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and T.J. Hockenson are a tremendous group across the board. That doesn’t mean they are immune to criticism. They had an objectively poor game on Sunday.
Not only did the group have five drops, two of which were by Addison and one by Jefferson, but they came at very inopportune times. These aren’t difficult catches that they are dropping either; they are ones that they normally catch on a game-in, game-out basis.
Addison was honest about his performance after the game.
“Just finished,” said Addison. “Make the routine plays, and I left a couple out there. I feel that’s 100% on me, and that was early in the game. So I feel like, if I make those plays, we win. No doubt.”
Addison is likely right. There were multiple misses on the day, and these were throws where McCarthy was on target. Jefferson had a drop during the game and got visibly frustrated, as it came on a third-down play.
The entire idea of getting a young quarterback in the building and taking advantage of the rookie contract was about taking a roster that was set up to win now and maximizing the salary cap. That idea was predicated upon having those players step up throughout the course of the season.
This was a pivotal game where the wide receivers needed to step up and support their young quarterback, but they didn’t.
Make no mistake about it, McCarthy isn’t off the hook in any way, shape, or form. However, it takes a team to win football games, and they didn’t do enough to get that win.
They have the Green Bay Packers next week, and it’s a must-win game if they want any chance of making the playoffs.
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