Vikings' bet on J.J. McCarthy may not be what you think — but in upset vs. Lions, it paid off Jori EpsteinNovember 3, 2025 at 4:07 AM 0 Before Aaron Rodgers had officially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and before Sam Darnold had found a slick connection with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon SmithNjigba and before Daniel Jones had led the Indianapolis Colts to seven wins in their first eight starts, the Minnesota Vikings took a gamble. They let Darnold and Jones, who both spent time with the Vikings last season, walk in free agency.
- - Vikings' bet on J.J. McCarthy may not be what you think — but in upset vs. Lions, it paid off
Jori EpsteinNovember 3, 2025 at 4:07 AM
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Before Aaron Rodgers had officially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and before Sam Darnold had found a slick connection with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and before Daniel Jones had led the Indianapolis Colts to seven wins in their first eight starts, the Minnesota Vikings took a gamble.
They let Darnold and Jones, who both spent time with the Vikings last season, walk in free agency. They told Rodgers that, despite his interest in their star-studded cast, Minnesota would not be adding a quarterback as starter. The Vikings decided, after J.J. McCarthy spent his rookie year on injured reserve, that they'd give the 2024 10th overall draft pick the keys even as they hadn't yet seen him play a single regular-season snap at the pro level.
As the season ramped up, and McCarthy suffered yet another injury, critics wondered: Were the Vikings crazy?
[Get more Vikings news: Minnesota team feed]
Sunday's 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions in a stadium where the Lions had previously outscored opponents 110-40 this season was a vote of confidence in the bet the Vikings made.
The ability to knock off one of the NFC's best teams, at home where they hadn't lost, sent one message. The way the Vikings secured that win, and what they did and didn't ask McCarthy to do in his third pro start, sent yet another.
No one should be making referendums on McCarthy's long-term viability as a starter three games in. But the Vikings' bet was not only — and arguably not even primarily — about McCarthy's long-term viability as a high-level quarterback who would elevate the players around him. Rather, in eschewing Jones, Darnold and Rodgers this spring, the Vikings decided: Our roster is talented enough to win with McCarthy whether or not we win because of him, especially initially. Minnesota's vision: Lean on the run game. Benefit from threatening defense and special teams units. Trust one of the best receiving corps units in the league. And then, when the game's on the line, ask McCarthy to make a few key plays.
Sunday, for the second time this season and in his first game back from a high-ankle sprain, McCarthy did. The Vikings upset the 9.5-point favorite Lions — and learned more about their quarterback along the way.
"In regards to our young quarterback, I mean we saw a lot of the things that he's capable of doing, and we saw some things that as he continues his ascension and his growth, he will only get better and better," O'Connell said. "But there's 2-0 on the road in the NFC North with him making some critical plays for us to win the game.
"This guy's a winner, and he's now twice this year really found ways to win under some unique circumstances."
Mixed bag from McCarthy was enough to power deep Vikings roster
Glance at the Vikings-Lions passing stats, and an unknowing onlooker may guess the Lions prevailed.
Detroit's Jared Goff completed 67.6% of his passes (25 of 37) for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. His 108.4 passer rating would slot as the ninth-best passer rating among quarterbacks entering this week.
McCarthy, meanwhile, completed 56% of his passes (14 of 25) for 143 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His passer rating was 82.6, which would have ranked 28th compared to quarterbacks this season.
But an excellent cast charted the path for the Vikings' win. A handful of well-timed plays from McCarthy sealed that fate.
Two drives into J.J. McCarthy's return. Two touchdowns, including one set up by this throw..pic.twitter.com/ZmnSecisDY
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 2, 2025
This was textbook complementary football.
Credit McCarthy and co. for scoring touchdowns on each of their initial two drives. But the play that opened up their first score wasn't a throw; it was a 61-yard kickoff return by Myles Price that positioned the Vikings' first drive just 36 yards from the end zone. Running back Aaron Jones drove the team closer before McCarthy found Justin Jefferson for a one-handed touchdown grab. A solid throw? Sure. A receiver elevating his quarterback with the ability to secure a catch out of reach of his second hand? Absolutely.
The next possession, the Viking faced third-and-9 from the 38. McCarthy hung in the pocket, moving slightly to his left while throwing a ball that traveled 42.2 air yards, per Next Gen Stats. Jordan Addison dove for it and secured it. A play later, McCarthy found T.J. Hockenson rolling up the middle for the score.
With 4:08 to play in the first quarter, the Vikings had their first lead. The Lions continued to get near, and at one point tie, them — but Detroit wouldn't lead again.
When McCarthy threw behind Jalen Nailor and Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold intercepted the pass, Minnesota's defense forced a three-and-out. When McCarthy absorbed one of his five sacks of the day to kill an early fourth-quarter drive, the Vikings' defense forced a field-goal attempt and Minnesota's special teams blocked the kick to set up yet another short field.
Terrion Arnold snatches it away for his first career pick!MINvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/yqlwNqgV2G
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
On third-and-2 from the 2-yard line, O'Connell dialed up a run-pass option and McCarthy kept it — but didn't score. The Lions then cut the deficit to three points with 1:55 to play.
But it was then that McCarthy turned a busted play into a 4-yard scramble rather than 5-yard loss, and two plays later, accepted on third-and-5 that Jefferson was double covered. McCarthy found Nailor for 16 yards on a pick rub, securing the last first down needed to run the clock out. He'd done enough, and he focused on the process over the result.
"I think 'clutch' is a myth," McCarthy said. "It's just all about how you can execute that individual play regardless of the circumstances [and] things outside of our control. So it was just about the basics.
"There's a lot that I need to clean up, but I'm happy the boys had my back today and extremely grateful."
With purpose and gold, McCarthy has a silver platter opportunity
At the Vikings' team meeting Saturday night, O'Connell turned the floor over to his captains. Each reinforced his belief in what the Vikings are building. They could shock the league, they figured, leaving Detroit with a win.
McCarthy's message was still more vivid, as he described a recent night when he couldn't fall asleep. McCarthy lay in bed, thinking about his chance to return from his high ankle sprain to play with this coaching staff and this roster of players.
"It felt like I was catching this glare from this silver platter," McCarthy told his teammates, "with a juicy opportunity right on top of it."
Within the game and the season, the Vikings seized the day.
Brian Flores' defense left Lions head coach Dan Campbell saying his team did "everything we needed to do to lose the game" and "made every critical error you needed to at the right time to lose it." McCarthy's supporting cast stepped up to chip in 130 rushing yards atop his own 12. In all three phases, Minnesota outplayed Detroit. The Vikings' quarterback flashed — but they didn't win on his back alone.
The result: Minnesota arrived in Detroit two games behind the Lions in the NFC North race and 2.5 behind the division-leading Green Bay Packers — and left just 1.5 games behind the division-leading Packers and one behind Detroit and Chicago. The Vikings are the only team in the NFC North that has already secured two division wins.
Their schedule still looks stout, beginning next week with the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens.
But Minnesota won't need McCarthy to outplay Jackson to win. It will simply need him to continue operating efficiently, tapping into his talented teammates and trending toward accurate and decisive passes.
Doing just enough has won McCarthy two of his first three NFL starts. McCarthy is the first to believe more awaits.
"Even after today, we haven't scratched the surface of our potential," McCarthy said. "We're going to peak at some point, but we're not there yet. …
"[So] I'm happy we got the win, but I'm not proud, to be honest. There's a lot of meat on the bone."
Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: Sports
Published: November 03, 2025 at 05:27AM on Source: KOS MAG
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