'Mostly on me': Justin Jefferson takes blame for J.J. McCarthy's pick-six
Star receiver Justin Jefferson says the blame lies on him for the pick-six thrown by first year starting QB J.J. McCarthy in the third quarter of Minnesota's 27-24 win over the Bears.
“J.J. wasn't ready for me to be out that soon. That's why the ball was thrown inside of me, where it needed to be outside. So it’s mostly on me, on that play," Jefferson said in his weekly media session on Thursday. "I'm just happy that J.J. really didn't think about it too much. J.J. was on to the next play.”
The pick-six gave the Bears a 17-6 lead with 12:51 left in the third quarter. With the offense sputtering and the defense struggling to get off the field, the 11-point lead felt bigger at the time. However, McCarthy quickly reset and turned his focus back to helping engineer a miraculous fourth quarter comeback in his first start.
"At the end of the day, yeah, it sucks. It's one of the worst things you can do as a quarterback. But you can't do anything about it. You've got to focus on the next play," McCarthy said after the game in Chicago.
Early in the fourth quarter, McCarthy threw a dart to Jefferson in the middle of the endzone that made it a five-point game. Less than three minutes later, McCarthy threaded a 27-yard pass to running back Aaron Jones for his second touchdown pass to give the Vikings the lead. McCarthy would top it off with a 14-yard option run that resulted in a touchdown and put the Vikings ten ahead with just under three minutes left in the game.
"When you have a pick-six, the way the first half went, normally that's enough for a lot of teams to go ahead and pack their stuff up and head home," said Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell of McCarthy's resolve. "There wasn't one moment. I just told him, I said, 'You did everything right. They made a play. You protected yourself enough' – there was another potential eligible on the play that might have had an opportunity to score, honestly, and what kind of play would that have been? Great learning opportunity."
"Defense kept us in it the whole time. It was on our shoulders just to go out there and execute and play as one and move on from that. That's one of those things I don't really hang on. And I was really grateful the way Coach McCown and (Kevin] O'Connell handled it the next play," said McCarthy.
Parsons Stuns with Monster Performance as Packers Crush Commanders in TNF
Micah Parsons Dominates as Packers Triumph Over Commanders
Micah Parsons has once again proven to be a force to be reckoned with on the football field. The Green Bay Packers’ defensive end showcased his prowess in a commanding 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
Parsons Sets the Tone
In the lead-up to the game, Parsons expressed his excitement about going up against top-tier talent. “Best-on-best is always good and it’s always good for the fans because y’all like to see the King Kong-Godzilla matchups,” he remarked. He also hinted at the unpredictability of facing younger players, adding, “But, at the end, sometimes you like to see the pups too, see if they can come off the porch.”
With Parsons embodying the role of King Kong, five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil took on the Godzilla persona, while rookie right tackle Josh Conerly was the proverbial pup in this fierce matchup.
A Monster Performance
Parsons’ performance was nothing short of monstrous. Official statistics reflected a half-sack, two assisted tackles, and three quarterback hits, but the numbers only tell part of the story. According to Next Gen Stats, Parsons was on the field for 37 pass-rushing snaps, during which he registered an impressive eight pressures.
He faced both Tunsil and Conerly 16 times each, generating three pressures against each tackle. One of those pressures resulted in a crucial sack, where he was initially held by Conerly yet managed to combine efforts with Edgerrin Cooper to bring down Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Unparalleled Impact on the Game
Parsons’ relentless energy and skill set him apart on the field, earning him comparisons to an alien for his otherworldly talent. The Packers’ defense was bolstered significantly by his presence, making it clear that Parsons is not just a player to watch, but a game-changer capable of altering the course of a match.
As the season progresses, all eyes will remain on Parsons as he continues to deliver jaw-dropping performances, solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s premier defensive talents.
