Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy didn't have his best outing in Week 11 against the Chicago Bears. But McCarthy is acknowledging his struggles rather than cowering away from them.
In the third quarter, McCarthy overthrew Justin Jefferson on third-and-seven, forcing Minnesota to punt. It is one of the many plays the Vikings quarterback wish he had back on Sunday, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
“You just can't miss those,” McCarthy said. “This league's too hard. There's three or five decisions [and] plays that I want back more than anything, and that's one of them.”
Overall, McCarthy completed 16-of-32 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Most of his production came on his one touchdown drive. But other than that, the Bears managed to keep him in check.
A lot of the miscues were self-inflicted though. McCarthy missed the mark on a couple of key passes and was unable to consistently move the chains. Head coach Kevin O'Connell will certainly be watching plenty of tape with his quarterback to help diagnose the biggest problems.
With the loss, McCarthy has now dropped to 2-3 over his five starts with the Vikings. He has completed 52.9 percent of his passes for 842 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. While there have been some highs, it's clear the quarterback still has plenty of developing to do at the NFL level.
But at the very least, McCarthy is receptive to that improvement. He is striving to get better at each opportunity. Next time he takes the field, the Vikings QB will look to limit the mistakes and play a complete game of football.
