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Peyton Manning Defended J.J. McCarthy After He Took His First Career Sack

Stephen Douglas

J.J. McCarthy took his first career sack on his first career drive.
J.J. McCarthy took his first career sack on his first career drive. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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J.J. McCarthy made his regular season NFL debut on Monday Night Football as the Vikings took on the Bears in Week 1. Things started... slowly.

Minnesota went three-and-out on their first two drives, punted on four of their first six drives, and gained 80 yards for just four first downs in the first half.

McCarthy completed 5-of-8 passes for 48 yards and was sacked twice, including on his very first drive. And while the play ended the drive, Peyton Manning defended the Vikings rookie taking the sack on the ManningCast, saying even he didn't recognize the coverage that caused him to hold the ball.

“Eli, I can tell ya, I played 18 years, I thought it was man, they confused me," said Manning. "I can promise you J.J. McCarthy thought it was man. I know he was confused."

The good news for McCarthy is that the Bears offense wasn't that much better, and the Vikings only trailed by four at halftime.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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