The Vikings are off the mat, and it’s not just because quarterback J.J. McCarthy played the best game of his nascent NFL career.
No one who has been watching the Vikings knew exactly what to expect from McCarthy in his third NFL start on Sunday, but there were no doubt some diehards out there who earnestly believed he would be better than he was in his first two games, way back in September.
Finding someone who would have predicted the defense would confound a Lions offense in a 27-24 victory in Detroit would have been difficult. The Vikings had just been torched by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts — 326 yards, three touchdowns — in a 28-22 loss on Oct. 19, then thoroughly embarrassed in a 37-10 loss to Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in a Thursday night game in Inglewood, Calif.
The front office spent a lot of money this offseason to retool the defense — adding cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr., and defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave — on a team they expected to earn a playoff spot. And it appeared to be a total swing and miss.
Carson Wentz left the Chargers game with a torn labrum that ended his season, but the defense left with its tail between its legs after allowing 780 yards and 59 points in two games — and staring down maybe their toughest challenge of the season at Ford Field, Jared Goff and the Lions, who entered the game ranked third in the NFL with 26 total touchdowns.
The defense, however, looked reborn Sunday. After giving up a 40-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta on a fourth-down play on the game’s first drive, the defense found its footing and made life difficult, if not quite miserable, for Goff and running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
The Lions were held to 65 rushing yards, 40 from Montgomery, and Detroit scored only one touchdown in three trips inside the red zone. Linebacker Brian Cashman had a game-high 14 tackles and forced a fumble that was recovered by safety Harrison Smith, and linebacker Eric Wilson had two of the Vikings’ five sacks and another tackle for loss.
Special teams were better, too. Myles Price returned the Lions’ first kickoff 61 yards to the Detroit 36-yard line to set up the Vikings’ first scoring drive, and later ran a kick back 99 yards for a touchdown before it was erased by a holding call. The Vikings blocked a field goal attempt, as well, and Rodgers returned it to the Lions’ 26 to set up Will Reichert’s field goal.
That’s what the coaches call complementary football, and that is your game-changer. This is what all the good teams do, and the Vikings just did it against a good team on the road with their backs to the wall. If they continue to improve across the board, McCarthy won’t have to be Randall Cunningham for the Vikings to win games.
Sunday was the proof.
McCarthy completed 14 of 25 passes for two touchdowns, threw an interception and scrambled for a score. He dropped a snap and nearly threw a second interception at the goal line before Reichert kicked the game-sealing field goal, but overall he was better than his numbers would indicate.
There’s no real stat for swagger.
Is McCarthy really the guy? Who knows? For now, all seems possible again. The Vikings are 4-4 and still last in the NFC North, but they’re 2-0 against division opponents Detroit and Chicago.
The Vikings are alive.
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