J.J. McCarthy has fallen all the way back to EarthLook, this is practically the kid's rookie season. So there were always going to be bumps along the way. But Vikings fans were rightfully pumped by the way the Michigan product finished Week 1, with dual-threat authority. It was enough for many of those same fans to overlook how uneven McCarthy was to start that game against the Chicago Bears. Except Sunday night's home opener was even worse. Granted, the protection wasn't firm out of the gate, with two regulars missing by the end. But McCarthy himself was more loose with the ball, fumbling three times and losing one, while tossing two picks. You just cannot expect to be competitive with that kind of stuff.The Vikings need to get healthy in the front sevenBijan Robinson was bottled up as a runner in Week 1. So why on Earth did he cruise to well over 100 yards as the Falcons' lead ball carrier at U.S. Bank Stadium? You can start by looking at the medical report in Minnesota. With Blake Cashman sidelined on injured reserve and Andrew Van Ginkel also banged up, the Vikings badly missed two of their most physical middlemen. If you want to push it all the way back to the secondary, where "Hitman" Harrison Smith remained out for personal reasons, that's fine, too. The point is, Brian Flores' defense needs to be at full health to function at its best, especially when the offense can't even bother to get into the end zone.The Falcons have the makings of an NFC South pushWe say "makings" because, even though a 22-6 road victory is to be celebrated, there are things to be cleaned up, like Raheem Morris' oversight and the offense's red zone strategy. Still, the South should be in play, as evidenced by Michael Penix Jr. and Co. taking the Buccaneers to the wire in Week 1. Penix was sharp when he needed to be Sunday, and he's got legitimate and youthful support in Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Throw in the recharged edge rushing rotation and ball-hawking safety group, and you can talk yourself into the Falcons finally, after all these years, actually putting themselves into the playoff conversation., The Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings squared off under the prime-time lights at U.S. Bank Stadium, where 2024 first-round draft picks Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy went head to head in , The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights for Falcons vs. Vikings on "Sunday Night Football." Follow for complete results from the NFL Week 2 game..