At 6-8, the season hasn’t exactly been kind to the Minnesota Vikings. The losses have piled up, the quarterback carousel has spun, and the hope that once defined this franchise has felt like a distant echo.
But on Sunday night, under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, something shifted. The Vikings took down the Cowboys, 34-26, and at the heart of it all was 22-year-old J.J.
McCarthy - a quarterback who, for the first time in his young NFL career, looked like he might just be the guy.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just a win. This was a statement.
For a team that’s been mired in inconsistency, this was a glimpse of what could be. McCarthy, the 2024 first-round pick who’s battled injuries and growing pains since entering the league, turned in the kind of performance that makes you sit up and take notice.
He went 15-of-24 for 250 yards, threw two touchdowns, ran for another, and had one interception - a tipped pass that wasn’t entirely on him. It wasn’t perfect, but it was promising.
And right now, that’s exactly what the Vikings need.
This win, paired with last week’s 31-0 domination of Washington - where McCarthy tossed three touchdowns and 163 yards - marks the first time since Weeks 14 and 15 of last year that Minnesota’s offense has cracked 30 points in back-to-back games. That’s no small feat for a team that’s struggled to find rhythm, especially post-Halloween when the wheels seemed to come off entirely.
Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Beating the Commanders and Cowboys is good, but context matters.
Those defenses ranked 31st and 29th in total yards allowed per game heading into the weekend. So yes, McCarthy took advantage of favorable matchups - but that’s what developing quarterbacks are supposed to do.
You beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, and you build from there.
The real test is coming. Minnesota wraps up the regular season with games against the Giants, Lions, and Packers - three defenses that will ask tougher questions of McCarthy. How he responds will go a long way in determining just how real this late-season surge is.
But here’s what’s on the line beyond just wins and losses.
First, there’s the quarterback position itself. If McCarthy continues to play like he did in Dallas, the Vikings can head into the offseason with a sense of direction.
No more stopgap veterans. No more wondering if the answer is in the draft.
They can start building around McCarthy instead of looking to replace him.
Second, there’s the front office. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been under fire for a draft record that, outside of Jordan Addison, Will Reichard, Dallas Turner, and Donovan Jackson, hasn’t yielded much in terms of foundational talent.
If McCarthy doesn’t pan out, that’s another major miss - and one that could define Adofo-Mensah’s tenure. But if McCarthy proves to be a hit, it changes the entire narrative.
And then there’s Justin Jefferson. The Vikings locked him up through 2028 with a four-year, $140 million extension, but elite receivers don’t stay happy if the quarterback play doesn’t match their talent.
Over the last two weeks, Jefferson has just four catches for 33 yards and no touchdowns. That’s not sustainable - not for a player of his caliber.
But if McCarthy can keep the offense humming and start feeding Jefferson the way he deserves, it could buy the Vikings some much-needed stability in that relationship.
Of course, McCarthy still has plenty to prove. Through nine games, he’s thrown 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
His completion rate is still below 60%, and his QBR was sitting at 28.4 before Sunday night. In terms of Expected Points Added (EPA), he was ahead of only Cam Ward, Geno Smith, and Joe Flacco going into Week 14.
Those numbers don’t scream “franchise quarterback” - not yet.
But here’s the thing: development isn’t linear. Sometimes it takes a while for the light to come on.
And sometimes, all it takes is a couple of strong performances to change the conversation. If McCarthy’s recent play is the beginning of something real - not just a flash in the pan - then the Vikings can finally stop spinning their wheels and start moving forward.
If not? Well, then the questions come flooding back.
Is McCarthy the guy? Is the front office making the right calls?
Is Jefferson going to stay happy? The answers to all of those hinge on what we see over the next three weeks.
For now, though, there’s a little bit of hope in Minnesota - and that hasn’t been the case for a while. The practices still feel long.
The flights are still long. But with McCarthy showing signs of life, the wait for a fresh start might not be quite as long as it once seemed.
Because if he’s the real deal, the Vikings’ timeline to contention just got a whole lot shorter.