The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a big upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, earning a 34-26 win in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football. After struggling for much of the start of the season, quarterback J.J. McCarthy has turned in two straight solid starts, giving the Vikings some life in what has been a fairly disappointing campaign.
McCarthy’s struggles under center have been viewed by many as the main reason for many of the problems that have arisen on the offensive side of the ball for Minnesota this year. The second-year passer and his teammates have certainly seen much of the criticism he has faced, and after this game, wide receiver Jalen Nailor fired back at McCarthy’s critics.
Jalen Nailor Takes Aim at J.J. McCarthy’s Critics
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and after he missed his rookie season due to a meniscus injury, he was handed the keys to the offense in 2025. Early on, though, that decision looked like a mistake, as McCarthy endured stretches of action where he looked borderline unplayable.
Things have gotten better for McCarthy as of late, though. He led Minnesota to a dominant 31-0 victory over the Washington Commanders in Week 14, and he followed it up with the aforementioned win vs. the Cowboys. In those two games, McCarthy has completed 31 of his 47 pass attempts for 413 yards and five touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, though, is the fact that he’s thrown just one interception during that stretch.
Against Dallas, Nailor played a starring role in the passing game, as he caught three passes for 47 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Even though McCarthy has taken a beating publicly for his struggles on the field, his teammates have made it clear that they’ve got his back, as Nailor fired back at his QB’s critics after this big win.
“The growth has been incredible,” Nailor said of McCarthy. “All the hardship and all the stuff he was getting at the beginning of the season, battling the injury to the interceptions, turnovers, things like that, he stayed focused on what he can do.”
Vikings Looking to Keep Positive Momentum Going Through Final Three Games
GettyVikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy
It takes time for young quarterbacks like McCarthy to figure things out when making the jump from college to the pros. Given how much talent surrounds him on offense, McCarthy faced unreasonably high expectations before even taking his first NFL snap. Now that he’s got some experience under his belt, he’s beginning to show everyone what he’s truly capable of.
The 2025 season will go down as a failure for the Vikings, but if McCarthy can continue to develop over the final three games of the season, this stretch could end up helping the team out in a big way come next year. Minnesota will go for its third-straight win in Week 16 when it squares off against the two-win New York Giants, with kickoff for this contest scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
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