The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on December 14 at AT&T Stadium. Moreover, it was another confidence-building performance from J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy was responsible for three touchdowns, tossing two and rushing for another. The Vikings’ second-year quarterback finished 15 of 24 for 250 yards, though he threw an interception on his very first pass — a tipped throw that defensive tackle Quinnen Williams snagged.
Both of his touchdown passes went to Jalen Nailor, and McCarthy added a rushing score of his own. On a clever bootleg from the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal, he surged into the end zone, leaving defenders in his wake.
After the contest, Vikings’ Justin Jefferson spoke about what he’s seen from McCarthy over these last two games as the young quarterback looks to end the season on a positive note.
“Coming off of last week’s game, a 31-0 victory, that’s something to have confidence in and really feed off of,” Jefferson told reporters. “Coming into this week, we had a similar game plan as last week, keeping everything pretty simple and letting [McCarthy] go out there and play freely. It just comes down to executing the plays.
“I feel like all 11 guys went out there with the mindset to win this game and do whatever we need to do to score points and be ahead when the clock hits zero. I’m just proud of him, leading this team and this offense. Of course, we still have work to do, need to make improvements, and have a game next week, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Justin Jefferson Talks New Found Confidence for Vikings
Moreover, Jefferson also went into further detail about how the group is feeling, especially with a young, confident quarterback, after back-to-back wins over AFC East opponents.
“It’s hard to win in this league,” Jefferson added. “It’s very hard to win, especially to be a valuable role as a quarterback. Having that young mindset and a young quarterback going out there with confidence and focus, just leading us to where we would like to go.
“That’s something we’ve been waiting for this whole season. I’m just glad that it’s starting to click and the consistency is what really matters.”
Vikings Suffer Injuries to Key Players in Win Over Cowboys
The win still stood out, but it was not without a downside. Minnesota had already been knocked out of the playoff race before kickoff, and the aftermath brought new concerns.
Following the game, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell provided the latest injury updates involving several important players, including Jonathan Greenard, Javon Hargrave, Isaiah Rodgers, and Brian O’Neill.
“Hargrave, we’re calling it a thigh injury. We’re going to need to MRI that and see where he’s at,” O’Connell told reporters postgame. “Brian O’Neill, foot, he’ll have an MRI, but I have not gotten much more of an update on that. Then Jonathan Greenard did aggravate his shoulder a little bit there. We’ll obviously need to take a look at him. Then Isaiah Rodgers with the elbow late.”
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