Falcons run over Vikings to spoil home opener as JJ McCarthy struggles

There was no fourth-quarter magic for J J McCarthy in his second NFL start as the Atlanta Falcons handled the Minnesota Vikings on the road to win their first encounter of the season - McCarthy stole a win in Chicago last Monday after orchestrating a thrilling fourth quarter against the Bears But the Falcons had all the answers for the young quarterback on Sunday Night Football to get in the win column McCarthy went -of- through the air for yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a challenge where he had specific chances for big plays but he just didn t have the right touch on his passes With the lack of a achieving run meeting the Falcons were sending all types of pressure and McCarthy went down for six sacks CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COMBut McCarthy s opponent Michael Penix Jr wasn t having the best of games at the quarterback position either Penix was just -of- for yards with no touchdowns or interceptions He also missed specific throws that could ve led to a touchdown earlier than Tyler Allgeier s late fourth-quarter amount which was the dagger for the Falcons COWBOYS BEAT GIANTS ON WALK-OFF FIELD GOAL IN THRILLING OVERTIME VICTORYAllgeier s five-yard rush was the only touchdown for either organization in this meeting as it was a field goal battle throughout with both teams struggling to convert on red zone chances Parker Romo the Falcons new kicker as Younghoe Koo was benched after a rough week performance was up for the challenge as he knocked in all five of his field goal attempts including his longest from yards out Though the pass competition wasn t efficient for Atlanta star running back Bijan Robinson picked up the slack with rushing yards on carries to lead the battle in that category Drake London was the leading receiver for the Falcons with yards on three receptions For the Vikings Justin Jefferson had yards though he caught just three passes After McCarthy s second interception of the event on the Vikings final drive Jefferson was noticeably frustrated on the sideline but who wouldn t be when the offense truly clicked in the fourth quarter this past week McCarthy and the Vikings will hope to be more consistent from start to finish next week when they face the Cincinnati Bengals who are expected to be without quarterback Joe Burrow after he suffered a toe injury on Sunday Meanwhile the Falcons hit the road again but against an NFC South rival in the Carolina Panthers next Sunday at p m ET Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter