The Minnesota Vikings struggled in their 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 11 on November 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Moreover, it was the team’s third game in their last four where they failed to score over 20 points.
Furthermore, it was another challenging game for second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who completed 16 of 32 passes for 150 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
He had an outstanding drive late in the fourth quarter, recording a go-ahead touchdown pass to Jordan Addison. However, that one drive wasn’t enough to overcome issues throughout the contest.
As a result, the Vikings are receiving criticism for not keeping Sam Darnold, who left for the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, and the latest to weigh in is former NFL player Richard Sherman.
“What would the Vikings offense look like if they decided to just keep Sam Darnold?” Sherman wrote during the Vikings-Bears game on X.
Moreover, Sherman followed up this take with ruthless post-game criticism of the Vikings’ starting quarterback, noting that “Justin Jefferson would probably want another QB soon.” The former Seahawks player didn’t stop there as he fired off one more 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.”
The Vikings Front Office Also Carries the Blame
While Sherman isn’t holding back on McCarthy, he isn’t putting the blame entirely on the young quarterback. In his series of tweets aimed at Minnesota, he also went after the front office for their decision not to make a better effort to keep Darnold.
“The truth is [the Vikings] should have kept Darnold and let [McCarthy] develop,” Sherman wrote on X. “But he’s not the answer in my opinion. If they would have offered [Darnold] more than Seattle he would have stayed. They also could have franchised. They made the wrong call.”
Minnesota Might Need Another QB This Offseason
With the Vikings at 4-6, the playoff aspirations appear to be over, and so the front office needs to have one eye on the offseason. Recently, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio stated that he isn’t ready to give up on McCarthy.
Still, he believes Minnesota should pursue a quarterback this offseason who can challenge him, helping push McCarthy toward his full potential.
“Vikings need a quarterback competition, “ Florio said on the November 10 edition of “Pro Football Talk.” “I think they need to sign somebody in the offseason, not as the ‘You’re going to be the starter and J.J.’s out. ‘I think they need to make him earn it against someone. They need him in day-to-day competition to push him toward his ceiling. And whatever his ceiling is, it is what it is.
“Right now, I am concerned the ceiling isn’t where it needs to be because we can’t have one week where it all clicks. It’s not like he’s ever going to be a gunslinger. He’s never going to be Matthew Stafford. It’s going to be about what he can do at the right time—make the right play in the right spot. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t.
“I think they need to be looking for somebody with a higher ceiling. So they need to either push him toward that higher ceiling internally or just pull the plug.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Gets Brutal Message After Loss to Bears appeared first on Heavy Sports.