Should J.J. McCarthy Have Celebrated His Touchdown Run Like This?

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy scored a highlight-reel touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, but proceeded to act like he had won the Super Bowl.

In the second quarter, the Vikings faced 4th and goal from the one, and McCarthy faked out literally everyone on the Cowboys' defense by pretending to hand it off to Aaron Jones and then running a naked bootleg to the left.

It was executed so perfectly, it reminded people of that one time Peyton Manning did the same thing while with the Denver Broncos, against the Cowboys, no less.

A phenomenal touchdown, no doubt, and one that got the game tied for the Vikings. But was that celebration a bit much?

I get why he hit the griddy; his teammate, Justin Jefferson, does it all the time. Given the circumstances though, it was quite excessive.

Early in the game, McCarthy had thrown a pass that deflected into the hands of defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.

And let's not forget, McCarthy hasn’t been great this year. In seven starts (not including tonight), he’s gone 3-4 and has thrown at least one interception in all previous games. Heck, he has more interceptions in those prior games (10) than touchdown passes (9). The NFL learning curve has been rough for him.

All that to say, McCarthy has had a career output thus far that shouldn’t make him believe he’s accomplished anything special. That of course doesn’t mean you should never celebrate a good play, but griddying for three yards before a touchdown should be reserved for players that have consistently proven they are stars.

Not for fledgling rookies that got lucky on one handoff at the goal line.