MINNEAPOLIS — Trailing by nine and facing third-and-1 deep in their own end early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings put their trust in quarterback J.J. McCarthy. However, his deep pass down the left sideline sailed five yards beyond an open Jalen Nailor’s grasp and the Vikings were forced to punt.It was one miscue on a night filled with them for McCarthy and the Vikings, who in two games have ridden the highs and lows of having a first-year starter at quarterback.One week after leading a fourth-quarter comeback in Chicago that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, McCarthy struggled mightily in his first game in front of Vikings fans. McCarthy completed 11 of 21 passes for 158 yards, was sacked six times and committed three turnovers in the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Falcons on Sunday night.“This is unfortunate, but I know we have a great … culture (in the) locker room and that we’re going to respond from this,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to learn and get better and bounce back next week.”Playing most of the game without two of their starting offensive linemen, the Vikings’ offense looked disjointed all night. They rushed for just 78 yards, allowed regular pressure on McCarthy and couldn’t make a big play when it mattered most.For instance, the only time they got the ball into the red zone came early in the second quarter. McCarthy and Nailor hooked up for 17 yards to get the ball down to the Atlanta 2-yard line. But …
