Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s return to the Vikings lineup on Sunday couldn’t have gone much better.
The Vikings took the opening kickoff and easily moved through the Commanders defense before McCarthy threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josh Oliver. McCarthy would throw two more touchdowns while going 16-of-23 for 163 yards in a 31-0 win.
It’s likely too little and too late to help the team’s playoff chances, but McCarthy said it was a “step in the right direction” during a season that has featured multiple injuries and underwhelming play for the 2024 first-round pick.
“It’s definitely reassuring,” McCarthy said in his postgame press conference. “I always knew I had that and I always knew the potential is there, but I’m looking at it right now and there’s so many ways I could get better. I’m so far from where I want to be, so it’s just great to get the win and grow in this game.”
The next step for McCarthy and the Vikings will be to stack a string of performances like Sunday together to close out the year. If they can do that, they will be able to head into the offseason with some positive momentum to balance out all that went wrong over the first 12 weeks of the season.
