On November 2, 2025, J.J. McCarthy came back from a high-ankle sprain that had kept him out for five weeks and led the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-24 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. He threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, ran for another in the third, and closed the game with a 16-yard throw on third down that let Minnesota run out the clock.
The Vikings arrived at 3-4. They had lost two in a row and three of their last four with Carson Wentz starting in McCarthy’s place, and the second-year quarterback, who missed his whole rookie season with a knee injury, had played only two NFL games. Detroit was 5-2 and coming off its bye week.
Two quick touchdowns
Detroit scored on its first possession. On fourth-and-4 at the Minnesota 40, Jared Goff threw deep down the middle to Sam LaPorta for a touchdown. Myles Price answered with a 61-yard kickoff return to the Detroit 36, and four plays later McCarthy found Justin Jefferson for a 10-yard score.
On the next drive, McCarthy hit Jordan Addison for 31 yards on third-and-9, and T.J. Hockenson caught a 7-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7. The Lions tied it in the second quarter when David Montgomery scored on fourth-and-1 from the 2, and Will Reichard’s 50-yard field goal gave Minnesota a 17-14 halftime lead.
McCarthy’s one mistake came late in the half. Second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold ripped a pass away from Jalen Nailor for his first career interception, and the ruling stood after a replay review.
A fumble and a blocked kick
The third quarter turned on one play. Facing third-and-13 at his own 6, Montgomery ran 11 yards before Blake Cashman knocked the ball loose, and Harrison Smith recovered for Minnesota. Five plays later, McCarthy scrambled right for a 9-yard touchdown and a 24-14 lead.
Detroit kept attacking on fourth down. Goff found LaPorta for 17 yards on fourth-and-2 early in the fourth quarter, and a neutral zone infraction by Jonathan Greenard gave the Lions a new set of downs when they lined up to go for it again on fourth-and-5. The drive still stalled after a false start and a sack by Jalen Redmond, and Levi Drake Rodriguez blocked Jake Bates’ 45-yard field goal try. Isaiah Rodgers picked up the ball and ran it back to the Detroit 26.
| Time | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4th quarter, 6:29 | Rodriguez blocks a 45-yard field goal try. Rodgers returns it to the Detroit 26 | Vikings 24, Lions 17 |
| 4th quarter, 3:33 | The Lions stop Minnesota at the 2, and Reichard kicks a 20-yard field goal | Vikings 27, Lions 17 |
| 4th quarter, 2:00 | Goff to Jameson Williams, 37 yards on third-and-1. Ruled down at the 3, changed to a touchdown on review | Vikings 27, Lions 24 |
| 4th quarter, 1:55 | Detroit kicks off deep with all three timeouts left | Vikings 27, Lions 24 |
| 4th quarter, 1:41 | Third-and-5 at the Minnesota 28. McCarthy finds Nailor for 16 yards | Vikings run out the clock |
Detroit’s goal-line stand forced the short field goal, and the extra three points mattered. Goff needed only five plays to answer with the touchdown to Williams. Lions coach Dan Campbell chose to kick off and rely on his timeouts, and he used all three, but the throw to Nailor ended Detroit’s hopes.
The numbers
McCarthy completed 14 of 25 passes for 143 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, and ran nine times for 12 yards and a score. Aaron Jones ran for 78 yards on nine carries before leaving with a shoulder injury. Goff threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, and LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown each finished with 97 receiving yards. The Minnesota defense held Jahmyr Gibbs to 25 rushing yards on nine carries and sacked Goff five times, twice by Eric Wilson.
| Vikings | Lions | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 27 | 24 |
| Total yards | 258 | 305 |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Third downs | 4 of 12 | 5 of 17 |
| Fourth downs | 0 of 0 | 3 of 3 |
| Sacks allowed | 5 | 5 |
| Penalties | 7 for 56 yards | 10 for 76 yards |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
The 10 penalties and five sacks allowed were both season highs for Detroit.
What they said
“It was awesome,” McCarthy said, choking up in the locker room. “When you’re hurt, being on IR last year, and being out for five weeks, it absolutely kills me not being out there with those guys because I love every single one of them.”
“J.J. made one of the best throws of the day when we absolutely needed it,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. Hockenson added: “He controls the huddle like a vet and he makes plays when he needs to.”
Campbell took the blame. “We did everything we needed to do to lose that game,” he said. “We made every critical error at the right time to lose.” He added: “When you play poorly in all three phases of the game, that’s on the head coach. I didn’t have this team ready to play out of the bye.”
What came next
The win did not start a run. Minnesota lost its next four games, then won its last five, including a 23-10 Christmas Day win over Detroit with rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback. The Vikings swept the Lions, but both teams finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
A year later, McCarthy is with the New York Giants, and he won his first start for them in Houston last Sunday. Minnesota now has Kyler Murray at quarterback and a defense that has allowed 74 points in six games.
Sunday at Ford Field
The teams meet again at Ford Field on Sunday at 1 pm ET, 8:00 pm in Cairo. The Vikings are 6-0, the last unbeaten team in the league. The Lions are 4-2 after beating Green Bay 20-17 on a field goal at the gun, and Gibbs and St. Brown have been cleared to play.
Related WhyNFL reading: Dan Campbell on the Vikings’ defense before Sunday, Justin Jefferson on the 6-0 start and J.J. McCarthy’s first Giants start.
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