Vikings' well-built, well-heeled offense remains off track as frustration rises in latest loss

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — J.J. McCarthy had Justin Jefferson open near the sideline on third down, with the Minnesota Vikings badly needing a move-the-chains play at that moment in the third quarter to keep the drive going in the face of a 10-point deficit and find some of the rhythm that's been missing most of this season.

The ball sailed so far over Jefferson's head it didn't even warrant a jump from the two-time All-Pro wide receiver.

McCarthy raised his arms to press his palms against the top of his helmet, immediately realizing the latest missed opportunity and blaming himself for another bad throw.

Despite the go-ahead touchdown pass McCarthy delivered to Jordan Addison with 50 seconds left, a sudden lapse by the Vikings on special teams after a solid afternoon in that phase gave the Chicago Bears the late break they needed for a 19-17 victory on Sunday.

For all the poise, touch and confidence McCarthy put into that final drive, with five consecutive completions after the 2-minute warning covering 55 yards, the body of work in his fifth career start left the Vikings with plenty of questions about how they can make this season any more than a developmental experience for the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

“I felt extremely prepared going into this game. I felt super dialed in physically. It’s just something I need to really figure out to make sure I keep this thing rolling for 60 minutes consistently,” said McCarthy, who went 16 for 32 for 150 yards and two more interceptions.

That throw to Jefferson was on third-and-7, because tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill both climbed out of their stance before the snap after hearing the signal differently than the rest of the linemen and receivers.

That was the only false start of the game after the Vikings had eight the previous game, but after extra work on the pre-snap communication all week coach Kevin O'Connell was clearly irritated by that mistake afterward among the series of mistakes by a well-built and well-heeled offense that has only been consistent this season at disappointing — themselves, the coaches and the fans.

After a third-down sack by Andrew Van Ginkel and Myles Price’s 42-yard punt return provided the necessary sparks, the Vikings took over at the 24 early in the fourth quarter and reached the end zone in just two plays without McCarthy doing anything but hand off to Jordan Mason. His touchdown run cut the lead to 16-10. Then after the defense delivered again by forcing a punt, McCarthy put together the go-ahead drive.

“It felt like we were one or two pitch and catches away from having a little bit different dynamic to the game throughout,” O'Connell said. “We’ve just got to stay the course and continue to coach the principles that we believe in wholeheartedly and continue to try to pave the path for improvement. It starts with the pitching and catching and the things we put together to try to make it as quarterback-friendly as we can."

This was the fourth time in 10 games the Vikings (4-6) failed to score 20 points. They only fell under that mark twice last season. In O'Connell's debut in 2022, they only had three sub-20-point games.

The Vikings have also scored 23-plus points only twice this year after hitting that threshold 13 times last season and the same amount in 2022.

McCarthy made his share of sharp throws, including two drops by Addison and a handful of others that receivers had hands on but didn't secure. But the ones that missed — combined with the ones that were intercepted to end consecutive second-quarter drives — were eyesores similar to the previous game. Underthrows, overthrows, off-the-mark throws — they were all on display again for McCarthy. Last week, he hit his hand on a teammate's helmet while following through on a throw and had to wear a wrap on it all week to help with the soreness and swelling.

“No excuses. Not an issue at all. It was fine,” McCarthy said.

Later in the third quarter, McCarthy threw over the middle to an open Jefferson on third down, a ball that was catchable but too high and hard for Jefferson to grab. Jefferson was visibly upset after that miss, coming close to chucking his helmet as he reached the sideline before calming himself enough to avoid making a scene.

“The frustrations are there. It happens. It’s part of a football. It’s a part of growing and figuring things out,” Jefferson said. “We’ve just got to do better all around.”

After that earlier third-down incompletion to Jefferson, boos rained down from the unimpressed crowd as the players on this underperforming offense jogged toward the sideline. The Vikings are just 1-4 at home this season after going 6-1 at U.S. Bank Stadium last year.

“We’ve got the greatest fans in the world, and they expect a lot more out of us, and rightfully so,” McCarthy said, his voice rising. “I feel like it’s just a reminder to us that we better get going and we better figure this out. We don’t have a lot of games left, so the urgency is at an all-time high.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) speaks after his team's loss to the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after throwing an interception during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) misses a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

BAGHDAD (AP) — An American journalist who was kidnapped in Baghdad had tried to cross from Syria into Iraq three weeks earlier and was initially turned back, an Iraqi official said Wednesday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials said Shelly Renee Kittleson had also been warned of threats against her in the days before her abduction. A freelance journalist who has worked for years in Iraq and Syria and was described by those who knew her as deeply knowledgeable about the region and the communities she covered, Kittleson was kidnapped from a street in the Iraqi capital Tuesday and remains missing.

Hussein Alawi, an adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said Kittleson had sought to enter via the al-Qaim crossing from Syria on March 9 but was turned back because she did not have a press work permit and because security concerns due to “the escalation of the war and aerial projectiles over Iraqi airspace as a result of the war on Iran.”

She later entered the country after obtaining a single-entry visa to Iraq valid for 60 days issued to allow foreign citizens stranded in neighboring countries to “transit through Iraq to reach their home countries via available transport routes,” he said.

Kittleson entered Baghdad a few days before she was kidnapped and was staying in a hotel in the capital, he said.

“The incident is being followed closely by Iraqi security and intelligence agencies under the supervision of” al-Sudani, Alawi said. He noted that one suspect believed to be involved in the kidnapping plot has been arrested and is being interrogated.

Iraqi security forces gave chase to her captors and arrested one suspect after the car he was driving crashed, but other kidnappers were able to escape with the journalist in a second car.

An Iraqi intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, said Iraqi authorities believe she is being held in Baghdad and are trying to locate her and secure her release. He said authorities “have information about the abducting party” but declined to give more details.

U.S. officials have alleged that Kittleson was taken by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked Iraqi militia that has been implicated in previous kidnappings of foreigners. The group has not claimed the kidnapping and the Iraqi government has not publicly said anything about the kidnappers' affiliation.

The Iraqi intelligence official said that prior to Kittleson's abduction, Iraqis had contacted U.S. officials to notify them that there was a specific kidnapping threat against her by Iran-affiliated militias.

Dylan Johnson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said on X Tuesday that the “State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them.”

A U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said, “She was contacted multiple times with warnings of the threats against her," including as late as the night before the kidnapping.

Kittleson’s mother, 72-year-old Barb Kittleson, who spoke to The Associated Press at her home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, said she heard about the kidnapping from a news report on Tuesday and was visited by the FBI at her house on Tuesday night.

When asked how she felt about the kidnapping she said, “Terrible. Scared. I’ll pray for her.”

Barb Kittleson said she last exchanged emails with her daughter on Monday. Shelly Kittleson sent photos of herself from Iraq, her mother said.

“Journalism is what she wanted to do so bad,” Barb Kittleson said. “I wanted her to come home and not do it, but she said, ‘I’m helping people.’”

Surveillance footage from Baghdad that was obtained by the AP shows what seems to be the moment the journalist was kidnapped. It shows two men approaching a person standing on a street corner and ushering the person into the back of a car. There appears to be a brief struggle to shut the car door before the men get into the vehicle and it drives away.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched regular attacks on U.S. facilities in the country since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Bauer reported from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The street corner in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street where U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 1 2026. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cellphone photo in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo)

U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cellphone photo in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

A street view shows the street corner in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street where U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 1 2026. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)

A street view shows the street corner in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street where U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 1 2026. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)