HH. BREAKING: Colin Cowherd just unloaded a blistering on-air critique of Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy — and the NFL world is buzzing

The Minnesota Vikings dropped to 4-5 following a 27-19 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens on November 9 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The offense had a tough day, racking up eight false start penalties at home.

J.J. McCarthy, in his second game back from injury, struggled to replicate his performance against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. He went 20 of 42 for 248 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, unable to find a consistent rhythm.

After the loss, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd, known for his candid takes on McCarthy, said the young quarterback still hasn’t done enough to convince him he can be an NFL starter.

“When I watch a franchise quarterback, you either pick up first downs, have long drives, make big touchdown throws, or you don’t,” Cowherd said on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast“ after the Vikings fell to the Ravens on November 9. “You can’t try to convince me [that] something is true. If I go to watch a comedy show, you’re either funny or you’re not for 45 minutes. Bill Burr makes me laugh [at] almost every joke. You can’t convince me of stuff.

“And I watched J.J. McCarthy and I didn’t like him out of college, so I don’t want to do confirmation bias. But after those scripted drives, I don’t get it. I don’t see it. He’s not accurate. Everything’s a fast ball, and they have good receivers, a better-than-average offensive line, a solid running back, and a great offensive coach. I mean overall [in Week 10] he’s 20 of 42. I mean, you can’t win in this league like that.”

Critics Continue to Emerge Over Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

Unlike Cowherd, NBC Sports’ NFL insider Mike Florio isn’t ready to give up on McCarthy. Still, he believes Minnesota should pursue a quarterback this offseason who can challenge him, helping push McCarthy toward his full potential.

“Vikings need a quarterback competition,“ Florio said on the November 10 edition of “Pro Football Talk.” “I think they need to sign somebody in the offseason, not as the ‘You’re going to be the starter and J.J.’s out.‘ I think they need to make him earn it against someone. They need him in day-to-day competition to push him toward his ceiling. And whatever his ceiling is, it is what it is.

“Right now, I am concerned the ceiling isn’t where it needs to be because we can’t have one week where it all clicks. It’s not like he’s ever going to be a gunslinger. He’s never going to be Matthew Stafford. It’s going to be about what he can do at the right time—make the right play in the right spot. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t.

“I think they need to be looking for somebody with a higher ceiling. So they need to either push him toward that higher ceiling internally or just pull the plug.”

Vikings Week 10 Loss Isn’t All on J.J. McCarthy

The main takeaway from the loss was the offense’s recurring mistakes, not solely McCarthy’s output. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media about the issue after the game.

“Well, I think we got to have a conversation as a group,” O’Connell told reporters postgame. ‘What transpired? It doesn’t feel like all eight of those were the same scenario, the same sequence. We try to eliminate them all.

“That’s been a huge point of what we think it’s going to take to win the game every week, whether it’s Monday or Wednesday or Friday, talking with the team about eliminating those self-inflicteds, and we didn’t do that in any way, shape, or form. We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to understand what was different today than what had been something we felt like we eliminated from maybe early on in the season.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Gets Honest About Facing Bengals in Pivotal Matchup

The Pittsburgh Steelers came crashing back down to Earth in Week 10 when they suffered an ugly 25-10 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers. Just one week after taking down the Indianapolis Colts in surprising fashion, the Steelers looked completely incapable of moving the ball on offense, which is a worrying sign for the team’s future prospects.

Heading into Week 11, Pittsburgh is gearing up for an important divisional matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. In their previous meeting this year, the Bengals handed the Steelers a surprising defeat, so you can bet this squad will be looking for some revenge. And in the grand scheme of the NFL playoff picture, superstar linebacker T.J. Watt knows just how critical this game is for his squad.

T.J. Watt Dishes on Steelers’ Meeting vs. Bengals

The Steelers met up with the Bengals back in Week 7, and the result was a surprising 33-31 victory for Cincy. While Pittsburgh had no problem moving the ball on offense, its defense could not buy a stop against the Bengals’ new-look offense, which was being led by veteran quarterback Joe Flacco for just the second time.

There were a lot of issues for the Steelers in this game, with part of the issue being a lack of production from Watt. In this game, Watt had just one tackle and 0.5 sacks, which is a fairly muted performance by his lofty standards. When Pittsburgh needed somebody to step up and rattle Flacco, Watt simply could not get the job done.

Of course, the loss doesn’t fall solely on Watt’s shoulders, but he’s earned some more heightened expectations throughout the course of his career. From his perspective, Watt thinks that the Steelers’ defense needs to find a way to limit the Bengals’ explosive plays and get them off the field more frequently than they did in their previous contest.

“A whole lot needs to be better,” Watt bluntly stated on Friday. “Stopping the run, first and foremost. Explosive plays, getting off the field, getting pressure. Even if the ball is coming out quick, we gotta get our hands up, and just do whatever we can to disrupt them.”

Steelers-Bengals Clash Could Have Major Playoff Implications

GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Early in the season, it seemed like the Steelers had the AFC North division wrapped up, but losses in three of their past four games have changed things. The Baltimore Ravens have stormed back into the conversation with three straight wins, and the Bengals are simply looking to stay in the hunt long enough so that they can make a playoff push once Joe Burrow gets back on the field.

With that in mind, this game is just as important for Cincy as it is for Pittsburgh. While the Steelers want to maintain their lead atop the division, the Bengals are going to be desperate to get back in the win column after throwing away a victory over the Chicago Bears the last time we saw them in action in Week 9. As a result, this game is going to be worth keeping tabs on once it gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.