If current trends continue, historians will look back on Nov. 2, 2025, with consternation and confusion. Entire careers of PhD candidates at major universities will be devoted to the mystery of this one day. There will be theses and dissertations, essays and thinkpieces, all searching for an answer to the confounding question: "How did J.J. McCarthy beat the Lions?"
In his comeback from a Week 2 ankle sprain that had forced the Vikings to turn to a broken-down Carson Wentz, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft quarterbacked Minnesota to a 27-24 road win over a tough division rival, lifting the team's record to 4-4. In the three weeks since, including Sunday's 23-6 steamrolling by the Packers, McCarthy has looked less and less like a viable NFL starter. And with the Vikings now all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs after a 14-3 campaign last year, each wrong step by McCarthy makes Minnesota's future less settled in 2026 and beyond.
"It's frustrating to be up here and say the same things every single week," star wideout Justin Jefferson said after the loss on Sunday, "and expecting something to change the following week. And we're still in the same spot."
The contest at Lambeau was close for an entire half before spiraling completely out of control. McCarthy couldn't pilot his team to the end zone, but good Vikings defense and Will Reichard's buff leg kept the score just 10-6, Green Bay, at the break. Everything after was a horror show.
The Packers scored on a short field and added a couple field goals on their ensuing possessions, but the real story was the complete inability of the Vikings offense to get the engine running. They went three-and-out on both of their third-quarter drives, gaining a total of negative-10 yards as Micah Parsons and the Packer pass rush wreaked havoc. Early in the fourth, they went three-and-out again and had to punt on fourth-and-27 from their own goal line. And then McCarthy threw his two interceptions of the game—one as Rashan Gary grabbed his arm on the throw, and another that provided no such physical excuse. After McCarthy sailed it for the game-ending turnover, the Packers had a choreographed taunt ready, leading the crowd in the Vikings' trademark "Skol" clap.
McCarthy's final stat line did justice to the intangible ugliness of his performance. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards, ran for 10 more, got sacked five times, and threw that pair of picks against zero touchdowns. There was no moment of inspiration, or athleticism, or any kind of bright spot to take into the following week.
Coming out of college, it was hard to pick out exactly what made McCarthy special enough to warrant such a high pick, beyond Minnesota's need for a future quarterback. He won constantly at Michigan, including an undefeated season with a national title, but he was more the right quarterback for the system than the best QB in the NCAA. Michigan won primarily by smashing their opponents until they could no longer put up a fight; McCarthy, while accomplishing what was asked of him, rarely put up gaudy numbers. When the Vikings decided he would replace Sam Darnold on that 14-3 squad, the hope was that he had learned to do enough things right that he could keep the gears turning. Instead, McCarthy has ground the offense to a halt.
In an extra twist of the knife, Minnesota now has to travel to Seattle to face Darnold and the 8-3 Seahawks on Sunday. Darnold's career arc might at least serve as a reason for McCarthy to take heart, because sometimes it takes many years for a quarterback to reach his potential. Unfortunately for the Vikings, sometimes it takes a new team as well.
