After a flat, uninspired showing against the Baltimore Ravens, the Minnesota Vikings followed it up with another stumble against the Chicago Bears. The 19-17 defeat leaves them sitting at the bottom of the NFC North with a 4-6 record. In the aftermath, head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t shy away from putting his locker room on notice.

“There will be tremendous growth opportunities from this tape for our whole team, it’s not just our young quarterback,” the head coach said while making it clear that it was not just McCarthy who was to be blamed.

J.J. McCarthy had a rough night, no question, but Minnesota didn’t lose this game because of only their quarterback. O’Connell noticed this and did not hang his team out to dry, but the subtle message was not lost.

Start with the drops. On a night when your young quarterback is fighting it, you need to give him a little air. Instead, Jordan Addison let two balls slip: one on a deep shot right down the middle, another one that hit him square in the stomach. Aaron Jones dropped one. Tight end T.J. Hockenson let another bounce away, a throw that would’ve moved the chains.

It’s become a pattern for the Vikings. When the defense delivers, the offense stumbles. When the offense shows flashes, the defense springs leaks. You’d have to think for a while to remember the last time both units showed up on the same day.

The defense did its job on Sunday. Blake Cashman was everywhere, piling up 15 tackles. Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner each got home for a sack. The Vikings finished with 10 tackles for loss. It was the kind of performance that usually would be more than enough to grind out a win.

The postseason door isn’t closed yet, at least not mathematically. They’d probably need to win six of their last seven, which sounds nice until you watch how disjointed this team looks right now. Without both sides showing up together, that run feels more fantasy than reality.

And sure, pinning it all on the quarterback misses the bigger picture, but J.J. McCarthy sure deserves his share.

J.J. McCarthy had his worst outing so far

McCarthy’s night never really settled. He finished 16 of 32 for 150 yards, a late touchdown, and two interceptions. It was a kind of slog that naturally sparks questions about where this is all headed. O’Connell was asked point-blank whether a benching might be on the table.

“Yeah, I’m not going to get into any of that right now,” O’Connell said.

You get why the question came up. McCarthy missed throws to the sideline, skipped others over the middle, and spent too much time drifting in the pocket. Both interceptions were the same story: jittery feet, late decisions, and no real sense of when to cut a throw loose with anticipation.

There’s plenty for him to work on, but the accuracy stands out above the rest. He’s completed just 74 of 140 passes, barely 53%, and he’s sitting at six touchdowns and eight interceptions. It’s not the step forward anyone expected, especially after missing his entire rookie year and spending months in the building learning O’Connell’s system.

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Fans had hoped this season would feel like one that was worth waiting for. Instead, it’s been more frustrating than last year, when he was at least out of sight and not under the microscope. O’Connell still backs him publicly, and it’s clear he wants to let McCarthy play through the bumps. But even with that patience, you can feel the tension building.