The scene of quarterback J.J. McCarthy being mobbed by his teammates after barging into the visitor’s locker room on Sunday afternoon at Detroit’s Ford Field perfectly encapsulates how the Vikings seem to feel about their young signal caller.

What’s your play call on third-and-5 from your own 28-yard line while protecting a late 27-24 lead at Detroit with a quarterback making his third career start? The Lions had one timeout remaining with 1:41 on the game clock when Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell sent in the play to McCarthy.

Van Ginkel made his first game appearance since Week 3 on the Vikings defense, providing “such an unbelievable presence,” coach Kevin O’Connell said.

Minnesota’s upcoming schedule ranks easier than the Lions, Bears, and Packers, keeping the door open for a late-season push.

The two biggest upsets of the 2025 NFL season happened simultaneously on Sunday, upending the NFC North in the process.

That kid who played quarterback for the Vikings on Sunday — the 22-year-old with the frizzy hair, baggy clothes and unspoiled grin — could change everything. Let’s not leap to dreams of Super Bowl championships.

During his day-after-game press conference on Monday afternoon, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell provided injury updates on a variety of players, including the first news in a while on center Ryan Kelly.

"I'm happy that we got the win, but I'm not proud, to be honest with you," McCarthy said, via the team's website. "There's a lot of meat on the bone, and I feel like I could have played a lot better. But coming into this environment and controlling my emotions, controlling kind of my temperament going into it — I was proud of that."