Vikings offense struggles, injuries pile up in 22-6 loss to Falcons
Vikings players after 22-6 loss to Falcons: 'That was unacceptable'
Minnesota Vikings players Josh Metellus, Dallas Turner, Adam Thielen, Eric Wilson and Justin Jefferson spoke with reporters from the locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium after a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. The Vikings dropped to 1-1 on the season.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a memorable comeback win for the Minnesota Vikings in J.J. McCarthy’s NFL debut Monday night, the 2025 home opener on Sunday Night Football felt more like a nightmare.
The Vikings are 1-1 after a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. The offense struggled from start to finish, and injuries piled up.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy after loss: 'I've got to play better'
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy spoke with reporters after Sunday night's 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium. McCarthy was sacked six times, threw for just 158 yards and had three turnovers.
The big play
How it happened:
The big play came in the fourth quarter as the Falcons were able to make it a two-score game, critical with the Vikings’ offense non-existent most of the night. J.J. McCarthy was sacked for the sixth time, with Zach Harrison forcing and recovering a fumble.
It led to a Parker Romo field goal, and a 15-6 lead with 11:16 to play.
The Falcons iced the game on Tyler Allgeier’s 5-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings down 22-6 with 3:22 to play.
"Nothing in this league is given. Everything you want, you’ve got to earn. We’ve got to be greedy, just because we can go out last week and throw up a stinker for three quarters and pull it out at the end don’t mean that’s going to happen every week," safety Josh Metellus said. "They get paid just as much as we do and if we’re not on our stuff, it ends up just like that. Whatever we did out there, that was unacceptable to fans. We’ll be better next week for sure."
Vikings coach after 22-6 loss to Falcons: 'Long journey ahead' [FULL]
Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with reporters after a 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday NIght Football in the 2025 home opener at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Another sluggish night offensively
What we know:
Monday night, the Vikings rallied with 21 fourth quarter points to leave Chicago with an improbable win. There was no rally against the Falcons. The offensive line struggled from the first snap, they ran for just 78 yards and McCarthy had three turnovers.
McCarthy was sacked six times, and threw two interceptions. He finished 11-of-21 for just 158 yards. The Vikings managed just 198 total yards.
The struggles started from the first series. After it appeared McCarthy scrambled for a first down, he was ruled inches short. The Vikings went for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 36-yard line, but McCarthy bobbled the snap, never got going forward and was stopped for a loss. It was a turnover on downs. It was McCarthy's first loss as a starting quarterback in September since before high school, and just his fourth loss ever playing football.
"There’s a bright future ahead in that locker room. This is a long season, everyone is telling me this is a frickin journey, and I believe them wholeheartedly," McCarthy said.
"It’s a tough game, every game is not perfect, every game is not going to be your A-plus game and it’s all good," said Justin Jefferson, who had just three catches for 81 yards. "It’s his second game, we understand and we’re not expecting J.J. to be perfect. We’re not expecting anyone to be perfect, but we are expecting everybody to do their jobs when it’s called to. "
Vikings’ injuries pile up
Why you should care:
The Vikings were down Harrison Smith, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Darrisaw and Jeff Okudah to start the game. They lost four more players to injury, including a pair on the offensive line.
Ryan Kelly and Justin Skule both left the game in the concussion protocol and didn’t return. Aaron Jones left the game with a hamstring injury, and Gabe Murphy left with a knee injury.
Parker Romo revenge game?
Dig deeper:
Parker Romo was the Vikings’ kicker last year when Will Reichard missed time with a quad injury. Romo returned to U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday night, and nearly had all the Falcons’ points. He was a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals, converting from 38, 29, 33, 33 and 54 yards.
What's next:
The Vikings host the Cincinnati Bengals at noon Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Bengals will be without Joe Burrow, who is sidelined three months with a toe injury. Former Viking Jake Browning is the Bengals' No. 2 quarterback.
"We’ve got to clean up our operation, and that’s a theme we’ll continue to focus on. You can’t be a 1-0 team if you’re going to allow an 0-1 to change anything about your mindset. Long journey ahead," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said.