It was always going to be a roller coaster with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy stepping into the spotlight for the Minnesota Vikings.

There were going to be stretches where he looked really good, as he did late in the 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears last Monday night. There also was bound to be stretches where he looked really bad, as he did throughout the 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The blame wasn’t all on McCarthy’s shoulders, however, as the offense couldn’t get much going. That spoiled a performance from the defense that should have been enough to earn a win.

Here are some takeaways from the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Falcons:

If McCarthy didn’t mount such an impressive comeback last week, the conversation surrounding him would be much mo

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