After leading the Vikings to a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders, young quarterback J.J. McCarthy tried his best to keep the focus on the big picture.

He repeatedly talked about how his success in the present — he completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and a trio of touchdowns in the win — doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t translate to success in the future.

McCarthy, however, momentarily let his guard down after some prodding at the podium, answering honestly when asked if he needed a performance like this to ease his mind.

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s definitely reassuring.”

There hasn’t been much for McCarthy to feel good about this season as he attempts to put the pieces together. He missed more than a month and a half with a high ankle sprain, then seemed to get bogged down in the minutiae as he reworked his mechanics before missing another game while in concussion protocol.

To combat the paralysis by analysis that had been plaguing McCarthy, head coach Kevin O’Connell opted for what can be considered a simplified approach, even if he pushed back on the semantics surrounding the strategy.

“The word simplification and all that is getting thrown out,” O’Connell said. “If it was that simple, I would probably get a lot more rest.”

Nonetheless, there was a marked shift in how the Vikings operated against the Commanders, putting less pressure on McCarthy to make the offense move. In total, the Vikings handed the ball off 28 times, and while some of that was due to them playing with a rare lead, the passing attack didn’t seem to be hunting for explosive plays in the same way it had been.

The advanced metrics support the eye test as McCarthy had the lowest average time to throw (2.56 seconds) of his career, and the second lowest average depth of target (7.5 yards). Not only did he get the ball out quicker than ever before, he also didn’t push the ball down the field at the same rate.

“He threw the ball pretty accurately,” O’Connell said. “I thought it was really positive for him.”

The question now is whether that short-term approach will ultimately lead to long-term success. The next litmus test will come when the Vikings travel to play the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, where it will be interesting to see how O’Connell handles McCarthy’s responsibilities as a signal caller.

Although it’s unlikely the Vikings will ever go completely away from an offense aimed at creating explosive plays, O’Connell might have to continue to scale it back while McCarthy gets his feel under him.

Perhaps growing restless with the approach last Sunday against the Commanders, O’Connell dialed up a perfect play call that probably should have resulted in McCarthy hitting receiver Justin Jefferson for a 66-yard touchdown. Instead, McCarthy bailed from the pocket amid minor pressure and scrambled his way for a 16-yard gain.

“We had a chance for a touchdown there and J.J. got moved off the spot,” O’Connell said. “We actually kind of created a play on the sideline to put an exclamation point on the game.”

The design worked to perfection as receiver Jordan Addison went into motion before the snap, ran a dig across the middle of the field and pulled a defender with him in the process. That left Jefferson running wide open after a perfectly executed stutter-and-go move.

“It just didn’t come to me,” Jefferson said. “It is what it is. It’s not really something I’m affected by, or overly thinking about. As long as we get the win, that’s all that matters.”

The hard truth layered in that pragmatic response is the fact that McCarthy missing that type of throw could eventually be the difference between winning and losing down the road. If the Vikings are going to live in a world that prioritizes efficient drives over explosive plays, McCarthy can’t miss the layups that will inevitably present themselves along the way.

“It doesn’t matter what happened,” McCarthy said. “It’s about doing it again and consistently growing and staying on the right trajectory of being the best version of ourselves.”

That hinges on McCarthy being the best version of himself.

Related Articles

The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 15: Some subs needed for fantasy playoff relief

Playoffs?! Here’s exactly what has to happen for the Vikings to make it

Mizutani: There will never be anybody quite like Harrison Smith

PFF grades from the Vikings’ win to the Commanders: J.J. McCarthy has a breakthrough

Takeaways from the Vikings’ 31-0 win over the Commanders

The legislation mandates that households receiving city rental assistance contribute no more than 30 percent of their income to rent. It reverses an earlier move by the Adams administration to increase that amount for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders, an effort to manage costs of the $1.2 billion program.

The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Diana Ayala, with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams at Thursday’s stated meeting. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)

The New York City Council last week overrode Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of a bill that would cap rent contributions for households receiving city rental assistance—reversing an earlier move by the administration to increase that amount for a subset of voucher holders, in an effort to rein in spending.

The legislation, passed by the Council in early October and vetoed by Adams a month later, mandates that New Yorkers receiving subsidies under the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program contribute no more than 30 percent of their income to rent. The vouchers, which help more than 60,000 low-income and formerly homeless households afford housing, cover the remainder.

The bill sought to overturn a rule the city implemented in September that increased the monthly rent contribution to 40 percent for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders—those with earned income who are receiving the subsidy for their sixth year (with exemptions for households on Supplemental Security Income, or with members older than 60).

Advocates and progressive lawmakers denounced the shift, saying it would put those impacted (about 3,100 households, officials said) at increased risk for eviction.

“New Yorkers are already facing significant economic strains and struggling to pay their rent,” Councilmember Diana Ayala, who sponsored the bill, said during a Council hearing in September. The 40 percent contribution, she added, is “a huge financial burden on families that are already stressed out.”

“It is a backward step when it comes to providing New Yorkers with what they need to survive in this city,” Ayala said.

Adams administration officials say the rent increase impacts only a small portion, about 5 percent, of the 60,000 households participating in CityFHEPS, and cited the shift as one lever to help manage costs for the program, which have increased five-fold since 2020.

The city spent $1.25 billion on CityFHEPS in the most recent fiscal year that ended in June, and with more than 136,000 participants, it is now the second largest rental subsidy program in the country, according to the city’s Department of Social Services (DSS).

By comparison, the New York State legislature allocated just $50 million this fiscal year for the launch of a statewide rental voucher program (an effort Gov. Kathy Hochul long resisted, citing concerns about the longterm costs).

“It is important we continue to think about responsible financial management so that CityFHEPS can continue to serve as a lifeline going forward,” DSS said in written testimony to councilmembers in September.

More than 37,500 people used CityFHEPS to move from the shelter system to permanent housing in the most recent fiscal year, a record high, according to the agency.

But homelessness advocates argue the savings the city would yield by increasing rents for a portion of participants—an estimated $11 million a year—will be outweighed by the hardship it could cause.

“We have New Yorkers struggling right now,” said Diana Ramos, a member of the Safety Net Activists and a CityFHEPS voucher holder (though she wasn’t impacted by the rule change). “Housing people is cheaper than leaving someone to rot in the shelter.”

Ayala’s bill is expected to take effect in 90 days.

This is the second major dustup between Adams and the City Council over CityFHEPS. In 2023, the mayor vetoed a package of bills to expand eligibility for the program, raising the income threshold and allowing people facing eviction to apply.

The Council also overrode that mayoral veto, but City Hall refused to carry out the legislation, as City Limits was first to report at the time. The two sides have been battling it out in court ever since.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who takes office Jan. 1, pledged to implement the Council’s expansion bills, and previously criticized Mayor Adams for fighting them.

“What a ridiculous waste of time during a housing crisis,” he wrote in a social media post in July.

To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post NYC Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto of Bill Capping Rents for Voucher Holders appeared first on City Limits.

ORLANDO — Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings have come and gone and on Wednesday, Twins officials packed up to leave the Florida sunshine for the Minnesota snow after what general manager Jeremy Zoll described as “a productive few days.”

The Twins landed the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft — they had the second-best odds to end up with the first pick but could have slipped all the way to No. 8 in the lottery— made a selection in the Rule 5 draft and a subsequent trade, and laid down some groundwork as they try to retool their roster for next season.

“We felt really good to have the conversations we did and build on the initial conversations from the (general manager) meetings to now,” Zoll said. Added clarity gleaned this week, he added, would allow the Twins to “advance the ball in some conversations.”

When the offseason began, there were questions about the Twins’ plans to enhance their roster, and whether that would include retaining or trading star pitchers Pablo López and Joe Ryan, and all-star center fielder Byron Buxton. Team leaders said this week all three would remain on the team while Zoll and team president Derek Falvey add pieces to the roster.

The Twins had a chance Wednesday to add another potential reliever to the mix after clearing a roster spot by placing outfielder Carson McCusker on unconditional waivers (he is headed to Asia to continue his playing career). Instead, the team selected catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics in the Rule 5.

Susac was promptly traded to the San Francisco Giants for 17-year-old catcher Miguel Carabello, who hit .264 with a .874 OPS in 41 games in the Dominican Summer League last year. They also received cash considerations in the trade.

“We looked at all the available guys, worked through some different options, had some really good conversations on how it might all fit together,” Zoll said. “As we evaluated different opportunities, the ability to make a trade here and acquire someone at the lower levels, (someone) that we think could really grow into something, felt like a more appealing opportunity as we tried to assess best ways to attack our 40 man and plan for building out the rest of the bullpen and the roster.”

Picking a reliever in the Rule 5 draft would have required the Twins to keep him on the active roster all season, something which inhibits flexibility. Instead, the Twins will use other avenues to build out their bullpen, a top priority after five relievers were shipped away at last season’s trade deadline.

“I think it was a productive few days for us,” said Zoll, who also mentioned the team’s desire to add “another bat or two with some thump” this offseason.

“There’s still a lot of feeling-out to be done. There’s still a lot of gauging of markets to try to understand when things may or not move,” Zoll said. He added that recent free-agent player movement — Kyle Schwarber staying Philadelphia, Pete Alonso’s move to Baltimore — “usually creates some trickle down impact on the market.”

GRAFTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia National Guard member who was fatally shot last month in the nation’s capital was laid to rest with full military honors in a private ceremony.

Spc. Sarah Beckstrom’s funeral took place Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.

Related Articles

Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products

NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade

Trump says the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

Foreigners allowed to travel to the US without a visa could soon face new social media screening

MacKenzie Scott has given $26B to nonprofits since 2019. Here’s what she supported in 2025

Beckstrom graduated with honors from Webster County High School in 2023 and joined the National Guard several weeks later. She served in the 863rd Military Police Company.

Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. She died the next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty.

Morrisey has said Wolfe, who remains in a hospital in Washington, is slowly healing and his family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks.