J.J. McCarthy made a quick impression in his NFL debut, leading the Vikings to a historic fourth-quarter comeback against the Bears on Monday night. He was in position to lead that comeback because he did not play well early in the game, and even threw a very bad pick-six to Chicago's Nashon Wright.
Peyton Manning, like most people, was not impressed by McCarthy at that point in the game, but one of his teammates spoke up on Thursday and took the blame for the lowlight. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson explained to the press how he was the one who made the mistake that led to the Bears taking a double-digit lead in Week 1.
Justin Jefferson took responsibility for J.J. McCarthy’s interception on Monday night, saying he needed to take two more steps before breaking on the route. “J.J. wasn't ready for me to be out that soon. That's why the ball was thrown inside of me, where it needed to be outside.… pic.twitter.com/m8ivQ5Mzui
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) September 11, 2025
“J.J. wasn't ready for me to be out that soon," Jefferson told the press. "That's why the ball was thrown inside of me, where it needed to be outside. So it’s mostly on me, on that play. I'm just happy that J.J. really didn't think about it too much. J.J. was on to the next play.”
Jefferson appears to be McCarthy's biggest supporter right now. He had advice for McCarthy before his start, told him he wouldn't give up on him when he was struggling early, caught his first career touchdown pass, and now has taken the blame for his biggest mistake.
JJ McCarthy: “Don’t give up on me.”
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 11, 2025
Justin Jefferson: “I got you brother. You don’t gotta tell me.” https://t.co/JtUGm5H0Fl pic.twitter.com/2EhiRo5t7g
Jefferson is going above and beyond to make things work with his young quarterback.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vikings Teammate Takes Blame for J.J. McCarthy's Pick-Six.
