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Staying on the field for postgame interviews at Ford Field in Detroit, J.J. McCarthy was greeted by a fanfare from his teammates when he entered the Minnesota Vikings‘ locker room. In a triumphant return from a five-game absence, McCarthy totaled three touchdowns in a 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions, the Vikings’ first win over Detroit since the 2022 season. Emotions ran high from the locker room to the press podium, where McCarthy reflected on his return from injury after missing five games with a high-ankle sprain and last season due to a meniscus injury. Asked how it felt to be welcomed back with a win in the locker room, McCarthy was vulnerable in sharing his feelings. “It was awesome,” McCarthy paused, “when you’re hurt — Being on IR last year and being out for five weeks — it absolutely kills me not being out there with those guys because I love every single one of them, and I know they got my back and I got theirs the rest of the way.” How Did JJ McCarthy Perform Against Lions? Not Up to His Standards, Vikings QB Says It wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch for McCarthy, who was playing in his third career game after missing over a month with a high-ankle sprain. McCarthy completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards, threw a pair of touchdowns and an interception and added another touchdown on the ground. It’s a small sample size, but McCarthy looked remarkably improved compared to his last start in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. Despite pressure on 58.1% of his dropbacks — the second-highest pressure rate faced by any quarterback this season — McCarthy was unfazed, completing 7 of 11 pass attempts for 91 yards and a touchdown when blitzed, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He delivered several clutch throws to close the game, including a back-shoulder throw to Jalen Nailor to convert a third down to ice the game for Minnesota. McCarthy was enthusiastic after the game, but admitted it is just the tip of the iceberg. “I’m happy that we got the win, but I’m not proud, to be honest with you,” McCarthy said. “There’s a lot of meat on the bone, and I feel like I could have played a lot better. But coming into this environment and controlling my emotions, controlling kind of my temperament going into it — I was proud of that.” How Has JJ McCarthy Compared Through 3 Starts? Vikings QB Rivals Patrick Mahomes, Dan Marino While McCarthy claims to have a long way to go, the 22-year-old quarterback is riding in rarified air through his first three career games. According to NFL.com, McCarthy joined Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks drafted in the first round to win two road divisional games over their first three career starts since at least 1970. McCarthy also became the first player to ever throw for two touchdowns and run for a touchdown in two of their first career games, the Vikings announced on social media. While the big box score stats haven’t flashed quite yet for McCarthy, he’s showing early on that he can will a team to victory and find the end zone when the game is on the line.
