J.J. McCarthy Responds to Colin Cowherd’s Worrying Take – “I Don’t Let Outside Noise Distract Me”
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has boldly addressed the recent concerns raised by sports analyst Colin Cowherd, who expressed doubts about the young QB’s ability to lead the team moving forward. In a fiery response, McCarthy made it clear that he’s not shaken by external criticism and is focused solely on proving his worth on the field.
Cowherd had questioned McCarthy’s ability to handle the pressure and live up to expectations, suggesting that the Vikings may face challenges with him at the helm. However, McCarthy wasted no time in firing back, shutting down the worries with confidence.
“Look, I get it – people are going to have opinions. But I’m not here to listen to what anyone else thinks,” McCarthy said during a press conference. “I’m here to prove myself, and I don’t let outside noise distract me. I’ve got a job to do, and that’s what I’m focused on. I know what I’m capable of, and I’m ready to show it every single time I step onto the field.”
McCarthy’s words come after a challenging stretch for the Vikings, where questions about the team’s future and McCarthy’s performance have circulated. However, the young quarterback’s resilience and mentality to block out the noise are qualities that have impressed both teammates and coaches.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell stood by McCarthy, reaffirming his confidence in the QB’s ability to lead the team. “J.J. is a competitor, and he’s been showing it every week. We believe in him and his growth. The criticism is part of the game, but J.J. is handling it like a pro,” O’Connell stated.
As McCarthy prepares for the upcoming season, his mindset is crystal clear: no amount of external doubt will stand in his way. “I’ve got a team to lead, and I’m focused on winning,” McCarthy added. “I know what’s at stake, and I’m ready to give everything I have to this team.”
With McCarthy now fully committed to silencing the doubters, the stage is set for an exciting season ahead. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how the young quarterback responds to the pressure and whether he can lead the Vikings to new heights.
By the Numbers: Cowboys penalties, run D, Javonte Williams' TD two-fer among telling stats
Football is a game of numbers, but a 24-20 final score doesn't tell the entire story of Thursday night's regular-season opener for the Cowboys. Nor does CeeDee Lamb's career-worst four dropped passes. Not even the 0-1 start in Brian Schottenheimer's inaugural year is the number that matters most, especially with 94% of the season still to play.
Dallas will be searching for things to build on, and a deeper dive into the box score provides plenty: both positives to reinforce as well as opportunities for growth. While the team can look to Dak Prescott's mostly-clean uniform, Javonte Williams's touchdown two-fer, and some uncharacteristic red-zone success as Week 1 bright spots, there's still concern for the defense's well-documented Achilles' heel and some snap distribution disparities that could stand to be evened out.
Time of possession, penalty counts, and big-play prevention: they're all stats that are trending in the right direction for the Cowboys, even if it's been just one game.
Let's take a look inside some of the other numbers that help put the first game of 2025 season into a different perspective.
0: Sacks taken by Dak Prescott
The Dallas offensive line, revamped in the offseason with rookie Tyler Booker taking over for retired perennial All-Pro Zack Martin, kept Prescott mostly clean. The final stat sheet shows zero sacks for the vaunted Eagles D-line and only one QB hit on the night.
But Prescott deserves a significant amount of the credit for that; he used his legs (and that rehabbed hamstring) to buy time in the pocket and get himself out of a lot of trouble. Philly logged 13 pressures, and while Prescott recorded just three yards on his lone rushing attempt, he completed 75% of his passes thrown while under enemy fire.
1: Plays of 20+ yards allowed
Last year, the Cowboys defense was gashed for 52 plays of more 20 yards over the course of the season, an average of three per game. Against the defending Super Bowl champs Thursday, though, they allowed just one.
Hard to fault new Cowboys cornerback Kaiir Elam for Jahan Dotson's 51-yard pickup late in the second quarter; it came on a picture-perfect bucket drop where the former first-rounder was providing step-for-step coverage. Dallas was concerned about their CB corps coming in; they'll only get better as Trevon Diggs ramps back up and reinforcements Caelen Carson, Josh Butler, and Shavon Revel Jr. arrive.
2: Rushing TDs from Javonte Williams
Javonte Williams's fantasy owners- the ones who actually started him- had reason to celebrate the veteran's Dallas debut. But the former Bronco's two-touchdown performance was pretty noteworthy for the Cowboys faithful, too.
Prior to Thursday night, the Cowboys had gone 26 full games (including playoffs) without notching multiple rushing touchdowns as a team. And the last time one Cowboys player scored two on the ground?? Tony Pollard... in Week 1 of 2023. The Cowboys may never go full Martyball during Brian Schottenheimer's first year, but this was a step in the right direction toward a viable rushing attack that at least keeps defenses honest.
4: Total Cowboys penalties
Penalties were a contact bugaboo under Mike McCarthy, with pre- and post-snap infractions often killing the team. Dallas was the fourth-most-penalized club in the league last season, averaging seven and a half flags per game and hitting double-digits in five different contests.
By comparison, four penalties (last year's game-best mark) in a Week 1 contest under a new coaching staff is an obvious and massive improvement. Of those four, two were unnecessary roughness, and one was for too many men on the field, both extremely preventable mistakes. Just one holding call; no false starts, no pass interference, no roughing, no offside, no illegal motions or alignment penalties. That's something Schottenheimer can build on.
6: Defensive snaps for Marist Liufau
Over half the Cowboys' Week 1 defensive starters were players who did not log a snap for the team in 2024. Not all of the newcomers impressed in their Dallas debut, though; veteran linebacker Kenneth Murray looked downright lost on multiple occasions, yet he was on the field for every single defensive snap of the night.
By contrast, second-year man Marist Liufau played like a man possessed and was far and away the best defender wearing the star... except he wasn't on the field that often. Liufau logged just six defensive snaps (and 12 more on special teams), but it's practically a guarantee he'll get more time with Matt Eberflus's unit moving forward.
11: 4th-quarter minutes for defense
The Cowboys were never more than four points down, but the offense simply never got enough chances as the game went on. The fourth quarter, in particular, turned into a game of keep away that the Eagles won handily, holding onto the ball for a suffocating 11:01.
It was Philly's 11-play possession to start the final frame that did the most damage, going for just 32 yards but killing 7:26 off the clock. Dallas took just 11 offensive snaps from that point on. Granted, they didn't do themselves any favors from a playcalling standpoint and, in hindsight, may have gone too pass-heavy too early. With 7:20 to go, the Cowboys passed on three out of four plays (3-of-3, 16 yards) before punting. Then with 3:02 left and all three timeouts to work with, they inexplicably hurried, passing on seven straight snaps (3-of-7, 27 yards, 3 deep incompletions to CeeDee Lamb) and giving the ball back to Jalen Hurts at the two-minute warning just to watch him kneel it out.
61: Offensive snaps for Tyler Guyton
Last year's first-round draft pick was thought to have torn an ACL on July 28, but Tyler Guyton managed to rehab his way back to his starting spot at left tackle and had no injury designation at all by Sept. 3. Never mind a pitch count; Guyton played every single offensive snap of the game.
He wasn't always technically sound and still shows a troubling proclivity for leaving his feet and getting himself off-balance in pass protection, but Guyton was in there taking up space with his 6-foot-8-inch 320-pound frame. His nasty streak was also on full display, notably in a first-quarter battle with Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt. Guyton reared back and laid a vicious head slap on Hunt that, although it escaped the notice of officials, may well earn him a hefty fine from the league.
63: Total minutes of weather delay
Thursday night's lightning stoppage probably came at an ideal moment for Dallas, having just lost a fumble 10 yards from the end zone on what would have been a go-ahead score. The hourlong delay pulled the plug on any momentum the Eagles might have gained in that moment, but it also cooled off both offenses considerably.
After the extended break that reportedly saw both teams chowing down on Uncrustables in the locker rooms, both offenses sputtered. No drive from either team went for more than 32 yards, all five of the game's punts happened after the delay, and no one scored again once they re-took the field.
67%: Red zone efficiency
Red has meant stop in recent seasons for Dallas; last year, the Cowboys converted just 46% of their red-zone trips into touchdowns, ranking a pathetic 31st out of 32 teams.
Thursday saw Dak Prescott and the offense find paydirt on two out of three red-zone visits. The only failure? The third-quarter possession that saw Jake Ferguson drop two in the end zone and ended with Miles Sanders's fumble. Nevertheless, there's nobody who wouldn't be thrilled with a 67% red-zone efficiency on a regular basis. Starting the game with a score certainly helps; prior to Javonte Williams's first touchdown, the Cowboys hadn't scored an opening-drive TD since Week 14 last year. It was the only first-possession touchdown Dallas posted in 2024.
158: Rushing yards allowed
The Cowboys were so intent on stopping the run (so they said) that they casually traded away the generational talent of Micah Parsons to get better at it. The move didn't exactly provide immediate results, however, as the Eagles racked up 158 yards on the ground Thursday night.
Yes, Philadelphia has Saquon Barkley. And Jalen Hurts. But the Cowboys' run D, ranked in the bottom five last year, had only six outings in 2024 where they gave up more yards, including both of their meetings with the Birds. The search for answers in shutting down the run continues.
