The 2025 Minnesota Vikings were supposed to be a foolproof machine for J.J. McCarthy. They had moved on from Sam Darnold, who threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns last year while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record. If not for a historically competitive NFC North, the Vikings would’ve secured home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Letting Darnold walk was supposed to give the front office flexibility to fortify a roster that masked its flaws until the final two games of the 2024 season. The Vikings added veterans to the offensive and defensive interior lines to give them the capacity to beat the NFC’s best teams by running the ball and rushing the passer without bringing the blitz and exposing their coverage.
Most importantly, moving on from Darnold meant seeing what the Vikings had in McCarthy. With his contract under team control for four more seasons, they wanted to maximize the financial freedom a rookie contract affords while also providing him with the requisite on-field reps he missed in his rookie season due to a torn meniscus.
All of these moves were gambles, or, as Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likes to say, “bets.” And through seven games, none of them have paid off in the Vikings’ favor.
Outside of Isaiah Rodgers, Minnesota’s free-agent acquisitions this season have been underwhelming. Whether it’s injuries or subpar performance, the Vikings haven’t gotten their money’s worth from this year’s free-agent class.
But injuries haven’t been limited to just the free-agent class. Rookie guard Donovan Jackson missed two games after undergoing wrist surgery. The Vikings are down to their third center. Andrew Van Ginkel has played 69 snaps. Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw’s game statuses and playing time vary from week to week.
Minnesota’s supporting cast could make it difficult to properly assess McCarthy’s first season as a starter. But he also has been out of the lineup, suffering a high ankle sprain in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
McCarthy played inconsistently in his first two games. He won NFC Offensive Player of the Week after the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 1, though most of his production came in the fourth quarter. A short week became even shorter when he missed the Thursday practice before the Falcons game for the birth of his son. He completed only 11 of 21 passes for 158 yards, two interceptions, and three fumbles (one lost).
Then came news of the injury. The initial timeline was that McCarthy would miss two to four weeks. However, Carson Wentz started the next five games, playing efficiently for three weeks before the effects of a shoulder injury and questionable decisions led him to throw three interceptions in four days against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers obliterated Minnesota in every phase of the game. Wentz’s gutty performance didn’t breathe any life into the Vikings, who were out-gained to the tune of 419 yards to 164.
Los Angeles beat the Vikings 37-10 in the most humiliating loss of the Kevin O’Connell era. O’Connell has compiled a 37-21 record since taking over in 2022 and has consistently pressed the right buttons with the offense. He has spoken the right words to instill confidence in the locker room and also among the fanbase. His postgame speeches have become must-see moments for fans since he arrived in Minnesota.
But he was at a loss for words for what happened against the Chargers.
“Nothing much to say,” O’Connell somberly told reporters after the game. “We got outplayed. We got out-coached.”
The Vikings are sitting at 3-4 and appear to have hit rock bottom in 2025. Fans and the team could have lived with a disappointing record if they had seen growth from McCarthy. But enthusiasm couldn’t be lower after he missed five games, and Darnold and Daniel Jones have played exceptionally on their new teams.
But is all lost? McCarthy is set to return to the starting lineup this Sunday against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings are 8.5-point underdogs, but a change at quarterback often injects a team with energy. Look at the New York Giants after they benched Russell Wilson for Jaxson Dart.
McCarthy has been heralded for his intangibles. The response from teammates when he ran in a 14-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 27-17 lead late in the fourth quarter against the Bears is evidence of that. Can he give them that same confidence and belief against the Lions?
Having a franchise quarterback doesn’t guarantee victory, but it gives teams the belief that they are never truly out of a game. Even in defeat, that quarterback can give his team confidence that it’ll rebound the following week. Even in a lost season, having that franchise quarterback can give the team optimism that they will be back the following season.
Perhaps McCarthy and a healthy Vikings roster aren’t able to beat the Lions on Sunday. But can they at least show the fight that they didn’t display at all last week against the Chargers? Can they show that they have a pulse? Will they show that even if they don’t leave Detroit victorious, they are capable of coming back one week later and taking care of business at home against the Baltimore Ravens?
That might sound like a low bar. However, after what happened in Los Angeles, even showing resolve would feel like a step forward.
McCarthy may not need to win the game with his arm. His emotional spark could be the difference. The weight of the season hasn’t been weighing on his shoulders down-to-down like the rest of the team. If anything, he’s itching to get back on the field and show that he can be, and is, the quarterback the Vikings envisioned him to be when they took him 10th overall in 2024.
No matter what happens on Sunday, the Vikings will still have nine games left. Will they be worth tuning into down the stretch? McCarthy has a chance to have a massive say in that. If he’s the spark they need, that may provide a peek into his long-term prospects as the team’s answer at quarterback.