J.J. McCarthy was unable to drum up any fourth quarter magic in Sunday's loss to the Falcons.
After leading the Vikings to a thrilling comeback win over the Bears in his NFL debut on Monday Night Football, McCarthy and the Vikings offense were largely lifeless during their loss to Atlanta. McCarthy combined for three touchdowns against the Bears, but went 11-21 for 158 yards and two interceptions while the offense scored only six points versus the Falcons.
By holding the Falcons to field goals on their first five scoring possessions, the Vikings defense kept Minnesota in the game until late, but McCarthy and the offense could not capitalize or build off Monday's performance.
Among the missed opportunities was an attempted deep throw to wideout Jalen Nailor in the fourth quarter. Nailor beat Falcons safety Billy Bowman Jr. down the field, but McCarthy overthrew him by a few yards. Had McCarthy completed the pass, Nailor could have scored a touchdown, or at least earned a significant gain to put the Vikings in scoring position.
While calling the game, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth perfectly encapsulated how tough the miss was. "This is a dream. This is what you dream about when you play receiver and quarterback," Collinsworth said. "You got all the room in the world, run right past Billy Bowman. As a quarterback, you have to put that ball way up in the air. ... Throw that moon ball so your receiver can find it. The defensive back is desperate, he at the very least is going to run into your receiver. You'll get a long pass interference penalty. The one thing you cannot do is overthrow it. Underthrow it all day."
Cris Collinsworth, in a very Cris Collinsworth voice on this J.J. McCarthy overthrow: "Oh... my... goodness."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 15, 2025
"This is a dream. This is what you dream about when you play receiver and quarterback... As a quarterback, you have to put that ball way up in the air..." 🏈🎙️ #NFL pic.twitter.com/GOEw3NnzuV
Ultimately, the Vikings were unable to score there or later in the game. The Falcons would go on to score the lone touchdown of the game to take an insurmountable 22-6 lead and win the game. Clearly, McCarthy and the offense still have a long ways to go.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cris Collinsworth Was Very Disappointed After J.J. McCarthy Missed Open Vikings WR.
