Cris Carter Blasts Vikings QB
The Minnesota Vikings lost on Sunday to the Chicago Bears, failing to capitalize on some late-game magic and losing by two points to one of their most hated rivals.
Cris Carter blasts the Vikings’ quarterback, offering sharp criticism and raising questions about the team’s direction and expectations at the spot.
After the game, some gave props to quarterback J.J. McCarthy for snapping out of a funk late in the contest, but Hall of Famer Cris Carter wasn’t having it.
Carter made sure to emphasize the bad rather than exalt the good.
Cris Carter Unimpressed with J.J. McCarthy
Carter did not sugarcoat anything.
Carter Pumps the Brakes on Any McCarthy Praise
Former NFLer Emmanuel Acho tweeted Sunday, “J.J McCarthy got that clutch gene!! Struggled all game, but this was nasty! 🔥🔥🔥🔥.”
A pretty standard tweet, hyping up a 22-year-old passer who profusely struggled until the very last second. Acho gassed McCarthy up for delivering when it mattered the most.
Cris Carter saw the tweet and became unimpressed. Carter retweeted, “Did you watch the first 59 mins? 👎🏾.”
For the most part, Carter is usually supportive of all things Vikings, but regarding McCarthy, the almost game-winning drive did not do enough to cleanse all sins. Not by a long shot.
A Miserable Afternoon for about 95%
The blunt-force truth? Carter is correct.
McCarthy played terribly for most of the contest on Sunday, and when he wasn’t terrible, his wide receiver, tight ends, and running backs were busy dropping a half-dozen passes.
The signal-caller completed just 16 of 32 pass attempts for 150 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He also didn’t use his legs — usually a young mobile quarterback’s bread and butter — instead trying his luck from the pocket, which didn’t amount to anything.
What Carter tweeted was not wrong; it was just a bit out of character. Most would expect Carter to say nothing at all in that situation. But he went on the offensive.
Clutch When It Mattered
Thankfully for McCarthy’s sake, he delivered at the very last moment. That’s what Acho got right.
Embattled by a woeful performance for 2 hours and 45 minutes, McCarthy turned on the gas on the Vikings’ final offensive drive, looking like the quarterback needed for the first 3.8 quarters. He found Jordan Addison for a go-ahead touchdown, and it felt like the 22-year-old somehow escaped with a dub.
Then, Minnesota’s special teams happened.
Devin Duvernay took a kick return back into field goal range, and the Bears’ kicker connected on the final dagger.
McCarthy’s sole saving grace was his delivery of a game-winning drive in crunchtime. But it didn’t matter.
Carter’s Grievance Earlier in the Season
As Vikings fans were exhaling after the win over the Browns in October — happy to hit the bye above .500 — Cris Carter lobbed a curveball. Out of nowhere, he dropped a pointed tweet essentially scolding Kevin O’Connell and suggesting Minnesota didn’t even earn the victory overseas.
“Since KOC has been the Vikings coach, no pun intended, they play like the cardiac kids. Didn’t deserve to win today,” Carter tweeted out of nowhere.
The remark blindsided people because Carter is universally viewed as one of the good guys, and few believed the London win hinged on luck. Former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer even jumped in, countering Carter with, “A win is a win, I don’t care if they didn’t deserve to win, they WON!”
Big picture, Carter’s critique just felt odd. He’s not the type to stir the pot or blast the franchise after a bruised-up roster guts out a narrow win, which is why the tweet drew so many double takes.
Then, after the loss to Chicago, the Carter tweet felt par for the course.
USA Today on McCarthy
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz called McCarthy one of the NFL’s top losers this week.
He explained, “Engineering an 85-yard go-ahead drive – capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison – late in the fourth quarter prevented his day from going down as a downright disaster. But that late flourish still wasn’t enough to give the Vikings any sort of lasting confidence about their quarterback, who was otherwise once again inaccurate and unsettled.”
“McCarthy tossed two interceptions and connected on just 16 of 32 passes despite seldom facing pressure from the Bears’ defense. Until the last drive, he had not completed a pass in the second half. To be fair, the passing attack’s problems don’t fall entirely on him, as Addison had a pair of costly drops.”
Generally speaking, the world is quite low on McCarthy.
Middlehurst-Schwartz added, “But catering to the young quarterbacks’ inexperience has come at a clear cost. McCarthy remains a presence to be managed rather than unleashed, and it’s not clear when – or if – he’ll get to the point where he can consistently attack the middle of the field and put the proper touch on his throws. Kevin O’Connell has taken a delicate approach with the passer, but Justin Jefferson slamming his helmet after yet another errant throw was telling about the toll this arrangement is taking.”
“Giving up on a first-round quarterback with five starts to his name would be premature, but Minnesota is under mounting pressure to figure out whether McCarthy can be trusted to hold down his spot next year without some form of insurance. All the while, 2025 threatens to slip away for the Vikings.”
McCarthy will get another chance to “have it click” this Sunday in Green Bay.
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