J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings were held without a touchdown in a 22-6 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.
After engineering a dramatic comeback in Week 1 against the Bears, McCarthy struggled in Week 2. The second-year player finished 11-of-21 for 158 yards, with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble as the Vikings fell to 1–1 on the season.
Despite the loss, wide receiver Justin Jefferson reached a major milestone, hauling in three catches for 81 yards and recording his 500th career reception. He joins Larry Fitzgerald as the youngest player in NFL history to reach 500 catches, achieving the feat at 26 years old.
For the Falcons, Michael Penix Jr. completed 13-of-21 for 135 yards, with no touchdowns either. Bijan Robinson added 22 carries for 143 yards and Tyler Allgeier chipped in 76 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown.
Vikings fans voiced their frustration after Saturday’s loss to the Falcons, calling out McCarthy and the team’s stagnant offense.
Atlanta opened the game with a 38-yard field goal from Parker Romo, who added a 29-yarder on the next drive to give the Falcons a 6-0 lead after one quarter.
Minnesota responded early in the second when a forced fumble at the end of the first by Eric Wilson led to a 33-yard kick from Will Reichard to cut the deficit to three. But a McCarthy interception—picked off by Falcons safety Bill Bowman Jr.—set up Romo’s third field goal of the half.
With just 25 seconds left before halftime, McCarthy led a quick drive to set up a 51-yard field goal by Reichard, trimming the Falcons’ lead to 9-6 at the break—all points coming via field goals.
Atlanta’s defense kept the Vikings out of scoring range in the third quarter, while Romo connected again to extend the lead to 12-6 heading into the final frame.
McCarthy was strip-sacked on the opening drive of the fourth quarter and the Falcons recovered the fumble. Romo capitalized with a 54-yard field goal—his fifth of the day—to give Atlanta a 15-6 lead.
The game’s first touchdown came at the 3:22 mark in the fourth quarter when Allgeier ran it in for six points.
Down 22-6 with a flag on the field, McCarthy appeared to have a free play and took a deep shot to the end zone for Jefferson, but Xavier Watts came down with the interception and the foul on the offense, effectively sealing the win for Atlanta.
The Vikings will take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home next Sunday in search of redemption.
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