J.J. McCarthy took accountability for the Minnesota Vikings’ 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
“I need to do a better job in my decision making and accuracy,” he said, unsolicited, after finishing 16 of 32 for 150 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. “It needs to change, I need to do better.”
Together, McCarthy and Kevin O’Connell created a vicious cycle in Minnesota’s Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings had eight procedural penalties against Baltimore, which McCarthy said were his fault.
Meanwhile, O’Connell had the league’s youngest starting quarterback throw it 42 times and only ran it 18 times, including on a crucial third-and-one.
Part of that was a result of Minnesota’s procedural penalties putting it in disadvantageous down-and-distances. However, part of it was O’Connell abandoning the run and asking too much of his 22-year-old quarterback.
The Vikings struck a better balance against Chicago, throwing 32 times and running it 22. Aaron Jones finished with 16 carries for 70 yards, and Jordan Mason had six carries for 45 yards. Minnesota also only had one false start, albeit on a crucial third-and-two in the third quarter.
“It’s [about] what’s best for the young quarterback, what’s best for our offense, [and] what’s best for our team,” said O’Connell. “That’s my job to balance all those things, and I’ve gotta do a better job at that.”
As he has all season, McCarthy shone in moments but also created lulls for the defense. He looked brilliant on Minnesota’s final drive. After throwing back-to-back incompletions early in the drive, he completed five straight passes, including a 15-yard pass to Jordan Addison to take a 17-16 lead.
Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard return on the ensuing kickoff set up Cairo Santos’ 48-yard game-winning field goal. Still, the Vikings could have built a larger cushion in a season where there’s almost no margin by being more accurate and taking better care of the ball.
“It’s the overall execution of the offense,” said McCarthy. “I [need to execute] my job at a higher level.”
McCarthy’s interceptions were game-changing plays.
The Bears picked him off on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. The first came after Chicago’s 15-play, 74-yard drive that kept Minnesota’s defense on the field for nearly eight-and-a-half minutes.
Minnesota’s defense got a 1:21-minute break before Kevin Byard III picked McCarthy’s pass intended for Justin Jefferson.
“With the rotating safety and playing too over the top, [I] just have to be aware of that guy,” McCarthy explained, adding that he should have checked down to C.J. Hamm. “I realize we have a flat element tying him down. But coming from [deep on the field], it’s going to be really hard for him to get tied down by a running back.”
Nahshon Wright, the former Vikings cornerback who had a pick-six off him in Chicago, also picked McCarthy off in the end zone. That pass likely would have been a touchdown had McCarthy thrown it deeper near the back pylon.
Minnesota’s six drops, especially two from Addison and one from T.J. Hockenson, didn’t help McCarthy. Still, O’Connell put him in a better position to succeed by running the ball, and McCarthy limited procedural penalties. However, the league’s youngest quarterback is making mistakes typical of green signal-callers, except he’s doing so on a 4-6 team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations.
The Vikings stuck with the run more, keeping the game close enough for McCarthy to set up a potential game-winning drive. Still, they failed to execute the little things that keep hurting them in a big way. Minnesota started to run, but it hasn’t fully learned to walk.
