J.J. McCarthy deserves heat, but something else is going on in Minnesota

Another absolute disaster for the Minnesota Vikings as they fell to the Green Bay Packers 23-6 in Week 12.

Of course, all eyes were on the play of young second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, making just his sixth NFL career start. Unfortunately for McCarthy, his first start at Lambeau Field might have been an all-time low performance as he completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards and two interceptions while adding 10 rushing yards in the loss.

If Vikings fans were hoping the chatter from the national media was going to quiet down with McCarthy slander, that is only going to be magnified by 100 right before Thanksgiving. It'll be even worse now, with him in concussion protocol and potentially missing time in the starting lineup again due to a third injury.

While everyone can acknowledge that the young signal caller struggled, is it really all on him, or is there a bigger problem in Minnesota?

How about talking about the horrendous day from the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line?

The Packers just manhandled the Vikings' offensive line from start to finish with absolutely no relief in sight. Green Bay managed to hit McCarthy 10 times and was sacked five times, losing 35 yards. The offensive line allowed a horrible 48 percent pressure rate from the Packers' front seven.

Minnesota's biggest offender for the issues on the offensive line was Christian Darriaw, who allowed five pressures and two sacks. He ended up getting knocked out of the game with an injury.

The Vikings also lost rookie first-round pick Donovan Jackson to an injury. Jackson allowed one pressure and one sack.

Minnesota's three other offensive linemen allowed pressures in the game, with center Ryan Kelly's return from injury being anticlimactic, with three pressures and three hurries allowed. Will Fries and Justin Skule each allowed two pressures and two hurries.

The only Vikings offensive lineman who had a solid day at work was Brian O'Neill, who allowed zero pressures, sacks, and hurries. Everyone else allowed at least one pressure on the line.

In total, Minnesota's offensive line allowed 18 pressures, nine hurries, and five sacks. Let's be honest: that's a pretty bad day at the office.

This has been a recurring problem all season for the Vikings' offensive line, with more than five different starting lineups. Injuries have ruined any chance of building chemistry on the line.

Most of the blame, though, for the offensive struggles has gone to McCarthy and Carson Wentz, who are getting beaten up in the pocket game after game, with no improvement in sight. Before the national media rips into McCarthy, maybe take a look at the offensive line before delivering criticism to him.