The Vikings might have themselves a franchise quarterback after all.

Leading up to Minnesota’s Week 9 clash against the Lions, there were plenty of questions about J.J. McCarthy’s long-term outlook as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. Since being selected No. 10 in the 2024 draft, McCarthy had only started two of 24 possible games due to injuries. And when he was on the field, seven of the eight quarters were tough to watch—the one exception being the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 27–24 comeback win over the Bears.

With the trade deadline looming Tuesday and the Vikings reportedly in the market for a quarterback, would the team need to panic and find a potential starter or simply a more experienced backup?

McCarthy appeared to answer those questions Sunday in the Vikings’ upset 27–24 win over the Lions at Ford Field. In his third career start, McCarthy threw for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception on 14-of-25 passing—good for an 82.6 passer rating.

McCarthy put together a near-perfect first quarter. He marched the Vikings down the field for two touchdown drives, completing 5-of-7 passes for 68 yards—and one of those incompletions was a perfect would-be-touchdown pass dropped by Jordan Addison. The touchdowns that did count, however, were a perfect strike to Justin Jefferson and a throw across his body to tight end T.J. Hockenson.

In the second half, the Vikings punted on their first two possessions before McCarthy led the team on a five-play, 35-yard scoring drive capped off by the quarterback’s nine-yard scramble for a score.

That level of mobility from the quarterback position is something that was missing in coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense back in the Kirk Cousins days as well as this year when Carson Wentz was filling in for McCarthy.

McCarthy saved his best throw of the day for last. Facing a third-and-5 from Minnesota’s 28–yard line with 1:41 to go, the Vikings needed a first down to end the game. If not, the Lions would get the ball back and have a chance to tie or take the lead.

McCarthy dropped back and fired a fastball down the sideline to Nailor, who caught it for a 16-yard gain. Ball game.

McCarthy’s day wasn’t all pretty. The Vikings’ offense looked discombobulated at the line of scrimmage at times, especially when McCarthy checked into an audible. There was a three-yard loss in the first half when McCarthy changed the play at the line of scrimmage and rolled the wrong way on what appeared to be a designed handoff for Aaron Jones—and it happened again late in the fourth quarter on a handoff that was supposed to go to Jordan Mason. McCarthy also threw a pick late in the second quarter on a pass well behind Jalen Nailor.

The Vikings’ win was a well-balanced effort. The defense sacked Jared Goff five times, and the special teams saw a couple of great returns from Myles Price and a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy’s perfomance, however, was a needed breath of fresh air for the Vikings, who looked downright incompetent the past few weeks with Wentz limping around in the pocket. At 4–4, the Vikings are right back in the thick of the NFC playoff race. And they’ve got a quarterback to get them there.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How J.J. McCarthy Fared in First Start Back From Injury With Vikings.

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