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Cris Carter Calls Out JJ McCarthy’s Latest Stinker
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- Cris Carter Calls Out JJ McCarthy’s Latest Stinker
Ed Reed/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK Ed Reed/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Minnesota Vikings lost 19-17 on a last-second field goal against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. A win would have pushed them back to .500 at 5-5, and improved the NFC North record to 3-0. Although it wasn't until the final ticks of the clock that Ben Johnson's team secured a victory, things trended that way all game.
Early and often young quarterback J.J. McCarthy struggled. He missed wide receivers deep and he missed them short. He rocketed balls that needed touch, and he consistently looked like a talent struggling to develop or adjust at the highest level.
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For some reason former NFL player and current analyst Emmanuel Acho highlighted one positive drive for the Michigan product. Cris Carter wanted no part of that.
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Cris Carter corrects Emmanuel Acho's JJ McCarthy praise
J.J. McCarthy threw the ball 32 times on Sunday completing just 16 of his passes (50%) . He sprinkled in a couple of terrible interceptions, and had the Minnesota Vikings looking like a slow car accident on offense all game. There was a solid 10-play, 85-yard drive , to take the lead. That's where Acho came to McCarthy's defense, except that Vikings legend Cris Carter came correct.
Did you watch the first 59 mins ? 👎🏾 https://t.co/vziZ8y2BQN
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) November 17, 2025
"J.J. McCarthy may not be good until it matters most, but when it matters most he's great."
That was Acho's takeaway for a single throw, of the 32, that McCarthy made on Sunday. As Carter suggests watching the rest of the game though, the only reason McCarthy needed to be great is because he was a steaming pile of doo doo the rest of the game.
⚠️JJ McCarthy on the @Vikings Opening drive
– Underthrows a wide open Jordan Addison
– Overthrows a wide open Justin Jefferson #Skol pic.twitter.com/XwLpcwp9LY— Intrinsic (@intrinsicvalyou) November 16, 2025
It started from the jump, and it's understandably why Justin Jefferson has grown frustrated . The league's best receiver has caught passes from quarterbacks such as Josh Dobbs, Jaren Hall, Kellen Mond, and Nick Mullens. He's seen some real stinkers. What he hasn't seen is his offense turned over to someone that seemingly gives him no chance.
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Carter is a Hall of Fame wide receiver . He's certainly going to side with guys from his position group. As a Minnesota Vikings legend though, he knows there is little benefit to tearing down the team's talent. The problem is that the reality has become to glaring to overlook.
Q: Is there a level of performance that [J.J. McCarthy] would need to get to for you to consider whether he should be replaced in a game?
Kevin O'Connell: "Yeah, I'm not going to get into any of that right now."— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) November 16, 2025
For weeks it has seemed as though Kevin O'Connell's playcalling has been a problem holding the Vikings back. Now it appears that his insistence on believing McCarthy is more than he currently is, or can handle more than seems realistically plausible, has rendered the final seven games little more than a hollow proving ground.
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