During Sunday's 27-24 upset victory at Detroit (5-3), Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy became just the third quarterback drafted in the first round to win two road divisional games within his first three career starts since at least 1970, joining Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes.
Not bad company for the 22-year-old Michigan Man, especially after missing five games over a six-week span with a high-ankle sprain. McCarthy finished his first outing since Week 2 by going 14-of-25 passing for 143 yards and threw two touchdowns and a pick. He added 12 yards on the ground on nine carries, highlighted by a 9-yard score in the third quarter, to go along with a passer rating of 82.6.
Although it wasn't a record-breaking day statistically, McCarthy did become the first player in league history to record at least two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in two of his first three career games. Incredibly, both instances have occurred on the road against divisional opponents (Week 1 at Chicago; Week 9 at Detroit) with the same stats (143 passing yards, three total touchdowns, one interception) and score (27-24 victories for Minnesota).
Another unique feat McCarthy set on Sunday? Both of his touchdown passes came on the Vikings first two drives of the game – something he never achieved in a game while attending Michigan. McCarthy also joined some exclusive territory in franchise history with his strong start against the Lions. He became just the fifth Vikings quarterback since 2000 to throw two touchdown passes on the team's first two drives of a game, joining Daunte Culpepper (one time in 2002), Brett Favre (one time in 2009), Kirk Cousins (one time in 2019) and Sam Darnold (three times in 2024).
With the win, the Vikings (4-4) not only snapped a two-game losing streak (and a five-game skid against the Lions), they also moved just 1.5 games behind Green Bay for the NFC North lead. The victory also helped Minnesota move up in this week's Power Rankings, with the biggest jump being five spots. Here's a look at where the Vikings landed heading into Week 10:
No. 20 (up 3 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
J.J. McCarthy's return to action was a wild affair, filled with ups and downs and everything in between, but the end result is that he played well enough to win with several clutch plays throughout. The consistency still needs to arrive, but this is the type of game performance the Vikings were hoping for when they traded up for him in the 2024 draft. He only threw nine times in the second half, and three in the fourth quarter, but Kevin O'Connell trusted McCarthy enough to deliver the final nail to Jalen Nailor. The Lions had carved up Brian Flores' defense in multiple previous meetings, but on Sunday, that unit got after Jared Goff relentlessly. Just a shocking win after the Chargers debacle, and just like that, Minnesota is back to .500.
No. 19 (up 1 spot): Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
J.J. McCarthy's return to the lineup provided the Vikings with the presence needed to snap the squad's previous two-game losing streak.
Considering Carson Wentz had been playing through what became a season-ending injury, McCarthy provided a significant upgrade after returning from a high-ankle sprain.
The 22-year-old is still in his first full season in the NFL after suffering his own season-ending injury last year, but he has the confidence of his team.
His maturation can help a Minnesota squad that may be in the NFC North cellar but is only 1.5 games behind the first-place Green Bay Packers.
No. 13 (up 2 spots): Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
J.J. McCarthy flashed in the victory over the Lions, but it was the defense and Brian Flores that stole the show. They truly made the Lions offense look ordinary.
No. 19 (up 3 spots): Nate Davis, USA Today
Eighteen months (but just three starts) into his NFL career, and QB J.J. McCarthy has yet to pass for 160 yards in a game. It'll come soon.
No. 18 (up 3 spots): Josh Kendall, The Athletic
On one hand, you could argue [the Vikings] deserve a better mark considering Carson Wentz started five games for them. On the other hand, this is a roster with Super Bowl aspirations, and you'd think an offense with Justin Jefferson would rank higher than 27th in the league in EPA per play.
View the Vikings in Big Head Mode following their Week 9 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
No. 17 (up 2 spots): Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
My full thoughts on the J.J. McCarthy comeback are here. Essentially…he's good enough that we don't have to overreact in any meaningful way. That's perfect.
No. 18 (up 3 spots): Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The Vikings just needed their young QB healthy again to solve their issues at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy's boosted play gives them a real chance to make the playoffs and push for the NFC North.
No. 17 (up 5 spots): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports
That's the Vikings team that we saw most of last season. They controlled the whole game in a win at Detroit. J.J. McCarthy had a promising start. The NFC North is more wide-open than expected, and maybe Minnesota isn't dead yet.
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