22 hours ago
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The Vikings bet it all on J.J. McCarthy and, so far, the returns haven’t been strong.
After Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Bears, Vikings Hall of Famer Cris Carter had some harsh criticism for McCarthy in response to a positive tweet from Emmanuel Acho.
McCarthy guided a 10-play 85-yard go-ahead touchdown drive with 50 seconds remaining in the game before the Bears answered with a game-winning field goal after a Devin Duvernay kick return set them up in prime position.
“J.J. McCarthy got that clutch gene!! Struggled all game, but this was nasty! #Skol,” Acho posted on X with a clip of McCarthy’s go-ahead touchdown pass.
“Did you watch the first 59 mins?” Carter responded.
McCarthy’s personal trainer Greg Holcomb didn’t take those comments lightly, calling Carter a “F’kn clown” in a tweet that seemingly has since been deleted, per a Sports Illustrated screen grab.
While Holcomb defended McCarthy, head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted on Tuesday that McCarthy has room for improvement.
O’Connell said on KFAN-FM 100.3 that McCarthy has shown strides on the practice that have not always translated to his performances on Sunday.
To make, as the phrase that I have been using with him, we gotta start seeing the cement dry on some of the things that we’ve really worked hard to make football habits from a fundamentals and technique standpoint,” OConnell said, per Sports Illustrated.
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O’Connell specifically pointed to the footwork by McCarthy impacting his accuracy.
“It’s just a matter of applying those things with discipline every single snap,” O’Connell said. “Fundamentally, he’s tying a hand behind his back at times with giving himself an opportunity to be as accurate as he can be.”
“You can’t be thinking about your fundamentals and techniques in those moments. If you are, that’s going to be pulling away from your ability to play fast and be aggressive with your arm, because it’s going to slow everything down in the process. So we’ve got to continue to try to make that habit, and let the concrete dry, as I say.”
The bulk of McCarthy’s production Sunday came on that final drive.
He tallied just 10 completions for 74 yards while throwing two interceptions before giving Minnesota a 17-16 lead it could not hold.
That last drive allowed him to finish 16-of-32 for 150 yards with one touchdown pass.
McCarthy admitted that his performance Sunday was too uneven to win games consistently.
“I need to be better in doing my job at a higher level,” McCarthy said postgame.
Star receiver Justin Jefferson didn’t exactly have the best body language on a few errant McCarthy throws.
“I just can’t miss those,” McCarthy said postgame, referring to a particularly errant throw to Jefferson that resulted in an interception. “This league is too hard. There were three or five decisions, plays, that I want back more than anything. That’s one of them.”
Jefferson mostly put a straight face on to the media despite the poor body language, finishing with five catches for 61 yards.
“It wasn’t the best game for any of us, I felt like we should have played better overall. But at the end of the day, when it really counted, J.J. stepped up,” Jefferson said. “Of course, there are things to work on and fix on the offensive side of the ball. We also need to help the defense out a lot more than we’re doing. Like I said, we have to look at the film, see what needs to be fixed, work on it, and come back ready to go.”
The Vikings (4-6) have tough matchups the next two weeks as they host the Packers before facing the Seahawks, as their playoff hopes hang firmly in the balance.
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