The Minnesota Vikings fell 19-17 to the Chicago Bears in Week 11 at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 16. This marked their third game in their last four contests without scoring over 20 points.
Second-year quarterback J. J. McCarthy had another tough outing, finishing 16 of 32 for 150 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. McCarthy did lead an impressive late fourth-quarter drive, connecting with Jordan Addison for a go-ahead touchdown. However, that effort wasn’t enough to overcome the team’s struggles throughout the game. The time remaining after that touchdown pass allowed the Bears to get off the game-winning field goal.
After the tightly contested win by Chicago, Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media and didn’t hold back his comments about his team’s performance.
“You know, proud of the guys—7-3,” Johnson said postgame (h/t Marquee Sports Network). “That’s nothing to snuff at. As ugly as it can be at times, this group’s just proven time and time again that when it’s close in the fourth quarter, we’re capable of finding a way. So, first division win on the road, and really proud of the guys for how they fought at the end. So, open it up from there.”
Johnson didn’t stop there with his remarks about his team’s win over Minnesota.
“It’s been the story of our wins, right?” Johnson added (h/t Marquee Sports Network). “We know how important that statistic is—taking care of the football on offense and getting our takeaways on defense. In most of these seven wins we’ve had, we’ve won the turnover battle. So it’s no secret to us, no secret to our opponents, and we’ve got to keep that trend going.”
### Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Had a Challenging Game
It was another game in which McCarthy failed to quiet doubters who believe the Vikings made a mistake handing him the reins to the starting quarterback job and letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency last offseason.
During and after the game against the Bears, former NFL player Richard Sherman took a shot at McCarthy.
“What would the Vikings offense look like if they decided to just keep Sam Darnold?” Sherman wrote during the Vikings-Bears game on X.
Sherman followed up this in-game take with ruthless postgame criticism of the Vikings’ starting quarterback, noting that “Justin Jefferson would probably want another QB soon.”
The former Seattle Seahawks star didn’t stop there as he fired off another post aimed at McCarthy.
“I’m old enough to remember the comments I got when I told folks I wasn’t sure if McCarthy was the answer and they let a good quarter fool them,” Sherman added on X. “Football isn’t an exact science by any means but when you’re set up with one of the best play callers in football and one of the best WRs usually success can be manufactured.”
### Vikings Front Office Also Gets Called Out
While it’s easy to point and say that McCarthy is in over his head as a starting quarterback in the NFL, Sherman doesn’t place all the blame on him for the Vikings’ current 4-6 record.
He also criticized the Minnesota front office for not allowing the Michigan product to develop over a couple of seasons behind a veteran like Darnold.
As the Vikings continue their 2024 campaign, questions remain about McCarthy’s development and whether the organization’s decisions will pay off in the long run.
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