JJ McCarthy went a long way in proving his doubters wrong with a strong performance to defeat the red-hot Detroit Lions on the road before admitting his emotions in his post-game press conference
08:30 ET, 03 Nov 2025
JJ McCarthy held back his emotions
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JJ McCarthy held back his emotions
JJ McCarthy had to hold back his tears when speaking about the reception his Minnesota Vikings teammates gave him following their win over the Detroit Lions.
The second year quarterback had missed the vast majority of his time in the league so far with two injuries, before returning this week in a tough environment against the number-one seed Lions. McCarthy has had his struggles throughout his time in the NFL, while being compared to both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones - who were both on the Vikings roster last year.
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But McCarthy went a long way in silencing critics and proving that he can be the Vikings long-term starter, scoring three touchdowns and leading the team to an impressive win to get them right back into the playoff picture with a much-needed victory.
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After the win, McCarthy was given a huge ovation when he returned to the locker room, while admitting that it had him emotional.
When asked how he felt to be given that support and backing from his teammates, McCarthy took a few seconds while seemingly getting emotional.
He then answered: "That was.... it was awesome. Just, when you're hurt - being on IR (Injury Report) last year and for five weeks this season, it absolutely killed me not being out there with those guys.
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JJ McCarthy put in a strong showing
"I love every single one of them. I know they got my back, and I have there's the rest of the way."
McCarthy admitted he would like to have a few plays back, throwing an interception while going 15-of-25 for just 143 yards, but he was pleased with his performance in leading the team to the win.
It was a much-needed one for McCarthy, with NFL fans around the league hammering the organization for sticking with him over both the aforementioned Darnold and Jones.
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JJ McCarthy knows he'll need another few good showings to convince fans
Darnold was the starter last year after McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury in preseason, impressively leading the team to a 14-3 record before the Vikings allowed him to leave to join the Seahawks.
Minnesota also had Jones as their back-up, who they again allowed to walk away as a free agent, while joining the Indianapolis Colts.
Both Darnold and Jones have played at an MVP-level - leading their teams to top place in their division.
McCarthy will need to string together a number of impressive performances to fully earn the trust of Vikings fans, but it was a positive start for the former Michigan Wolverine.
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