Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy led his team to a 27-24 win after missing the last five games. Mike Mulholland / Getty Images

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense made Jared Goff’s day difficult, and J.J. McCarthy did enough to lead the Vikings to a 27-24 victory over the Detroit Lions in his return after missing five games.

McCarthy threw for 143 yards on 14-of-25 passing with two touchdown passes and one interception. On third-and-8 in the third quarter, McCarthy scrambled into the right of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown run to give the Vikings a 24-14 lead. Minnesota started the drive with good field position after Blake Cashman punched the ball out from David Montgomery to force a fumble.

Goff got the Lions within three points late in the game with a deep pass to Jameson Williams, who ran it in for a 37-yard touchdown.

Coming off the bye week, the Lions struggled with penalties (10 for a loss of 76 yards). Goff faced pressure throughout the day and threw for 284 yards on 25-of-37 passing with two touchdowns. He was sacked five times.

The Vikings improved to 4-4 with the divisional win and rebounded after losing their last two with Carson Wentz as the starter. The Lions lost their first game at home this season and fell to 5-3.

McCarthy brings life to Vikings

The most interesting Vikings storyline was always going to be McCarthy’s return. The young quarterback injected life into Minnesota. The team had been reeling, losing two straight. McCarthy came back from a high-ankle sprain and did enough, especially in the first half, for the Vikings to pull off the upset.

McCarthy’s most important plays happened on touchdowns. He booted from the pocket on the team’s first drive and found tight end T.J. Hockenson in the back of the end zone for a score. In the second half, McCarthy evaded a stunt, scrambled to the right, and converted a touchdown run.

McCarthy wasn’t perfect. He completed just 14-of-25 passes for 143 yards. He was inaccurate in spurts, and the Vikings’ operation wasn’t always the smoothest. The Vikings had a botched play and a fumbled snap. McCarthy was helped by running back Aaron Jones, specifically, who gained 78 yards on nine carries and provided a level of early-down efficiency that the Vikings have not had.

There will be plenty of teachable moments coming out of this one. But the fact that McCarthy stayed healthy and ignited a struggling offense cannot go overlooked.

No play was more important than the third-and-5 completion from McCarthy to receiver Jalen Nailor to ice the game. Head coach Kevin O’Connell trusted McCarthy, and he delivered. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer

Vikings defense stifles Gibbs, running game

The most surprising aspect of the Vikings’ struggles before Sunday was the defensive disaster. Minnesota turned the tide against the Lions. It stopped the run and applied trademark pressure. Linebackers Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson led the charge, often causing serious trouble for Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in pass protection. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave also gave more than he had in recent games. He played a more sizable chunk of snaps, and alongside defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Jalen Redmond, the Vikings created problems for the Lions’ young and less experienced interior.

Gibbs ran for only 25 yards on nine carries. Lions’ complementary running back David Montgomery added 40 yards on 11 carries. The lack of early-down efficiency placed Detroit quarterback Jared Goff in third-and-long situations — where the Lions have struggled all season. The Vikings built their team thinking that they could lean on their defensive front. That hadn’t been the case for weeks, but Sunday turned the tide, and unsurprisingly, the Vikings benefited. — Lewis

Penalties keep the Lions out of sync

Coming off a bye week, more was expected of the Lions. This was far from their cleanest performance. Penalties had them out of sync for most of the day, with the offense finding itself in third-and-long situations routinely. The Lions had no answers for Minnesota’s pressure looks, allowing five sacks on the afternoon. It certainly felt like they missed Minnesota native and former All-Pro center Frank Ragnow. He was great at helping Goff and the offense identify blitz looks, but Detroit’s inexperience at guard was a factor.

Goff never got comfortable and was abandoning plays before they had time to develop because of the pressure he received. Detroit couldn’t run the ball, either, with just 65 yards on 20 rush attempts. Special teams blunders and a Montgomery fumble didn’t help, as the Vikings were able to take advantage of good field position and secure the victory. Defensive penalties limited their chances to get off the field after stops, allowing the Vikings to string together drives. A bit of an uncharacteristic performance for Dan Campbell’s Lions. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer

Lions should be buyers at trade deadline

The Lions are now 5-3 and missed a golden opportunity to take control of first place in the NFC North with the Packers losing to the Panthers on Sunday. They’ll try to regroup before they head to D.C. for a 2024 playoff rematch with the Washington Commanders, but before then, it’ll be interesting to see what the Lions do ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline to address the roster. Starting left guard Christian Mahogany could miss time with a knee injury, and the roster as a whole feels like it could use a spark. We’ll see what GM Brad Holmes has up his sleeve. The Lions should be buyers. — Pouncy

Nov 2, 2025

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