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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During the summer transfer window, Minnesota United’s front office leaders needed to convince Nectar Triantis that coming to MLS was the right move in his budding career.

Nectarios Triantis #25 of Minnesota United reacts after missing a goal against Novak Miovi #1 of Los Angeles Galaxy during the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park on Oct. 18, 2025 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The 22-year-old Australian midfielder was already playing in Europe — the favored continent in nearly every player’s eyes — albeit in a lower-level league.

And in a hopeful move, Triantis, who is of Greek descent, requested and received from FIFA a switch to represent Greece on the international stage — if he gets called up.

The sales pitch from Loons Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad was successful. With a $722,665 salary that ranks eighth highest on the roster, Triantis came to Minnesota as an Under-22 Initiative signing on a 4 1/2-year contract.

And he’s off to a smashing start.

“He’s got that typical Aussie self-assurance, I would say, and it’s not misplaced in any way,” head coach Eric Ramsay said. “He’s obviously a very capable guy, very capable footballer. I think he’s really fixated on making sure that he hits the highest level possible.”

Soon after his arrival in August, Triantis became a regular in Ramsay’s defensive midfield. His first start came in a huge match, the U.S. Open Cup semifinal loss to Austin, then was in the starting XI for the final four MLS regular-season games and in Game 1 of the MLS Cup Playoffs last Monday.

Minnesota won Game 1 and the best-of-three series shifts to Seattle for Game 2 at 9:45 p.m. CST Monday at Lumen Field.

For Triantis, that a string of games that should put him on the radar for the Greece senior national team, while it underscores a self-belief in how high his career can reach.

“He’s got a real point to prove,” Ramsay said. “He’s not come here to stand still in any way. He really wants to progress. And he’s obviously got characteristics that really help us.”

Ramsay called the 6-foot-3 Triantus “a bit of a destroyer in the middle,” but also someone who is composed on the ball with an ability to dribble around opponents and provide line-breaking passes.

Against Seattle in Game 1, the Loons spent long periods defending in a low block and when they get the ball back, they need players who are strong enough to handle the ball in big moments.

“You can just see his personality and desire to want to help the team win,” midfield mate Wil Trapp said. “I think it’s been really impressive from the beginning. You always want guys to come in that do it in a way that feels like they have confidence, that they can affect the game. I think he has done that in spades from the beginning. It’s been really fun.”

Triantis played the previous two seasons for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership while on loan from Sunderland, which was promoted to the English Premier League this season. The Loons paid a $2.5 million transfer fee to Southhampton to bring in Triantis.

That is looking like a bargain.

In addition to his primary roles of defending and connecting, Triantis has also shown a goal-scoring ability. He scored from the halfway line in his Loons debut against San Diego in September and had another long-range goal at Colorado two weeks later.

In Game 1 versus Seattle, Triantis had some dangerous shots during the match and stepped up to the penalty-kick spot and tucked a PK inside the left post in the Loons’ 3-2 shootout.

Loons assistant coach Cam Knowles, who organizes the PK lineup, showed confidence in Triantis, putting him second behind top taker Kelvin Yeboah.

Was Triantis nervous? “Not really,” he said.

It showed.

What would you do if you were mayor for a day?

The League of Minnesota Cities is asking students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades to participate in this year’s “Mayor For a Day” essay contest.

Three winners will be chosen, and each winner will be awarded a $100 prize. The winning essays will be published in “Minnesota Cities,” the League’s publication.

Essays should be about 125 to 300 words; one entry per child. The deadline is Dec. 12.

For more information, go to mayor-for-a-day.

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The highly anticipated return of J.J. McCarthy has reinstilled some hope into a campaign that seemed to be lost.

After missing the past month and a half with a high ankle sprain, McCarthy was finally back under center for the Vikings against the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, and some how, some way, he helped captained an improbable 27-24 upset win.

On the most important play of the game, McCarthy uncorked a perfect back shoulder fade to receiver Jalen Nailor, who made a twisting grab to put the game on ice. In the immediate aftermath, McCarthy took a couple of knees, and the Vikings walked off the field with a huge win to put themselves right back in the conversation in the NFC North.

It was an impressive performance from McCarthy as he completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also adding another touchdown on the ground.

Meanwhile, on the other end, the Vikings bounced back on defense, limiting the Lions in all phases after getting carved up by the Los Angeles Chargers in primetime the last time they played a week and a half ago. They knocked quarterback Jared Goff off his spots for prolonged stretches with a wide array of stunts in the trenches.

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