The Minnesota Vikings came into Week 15 against the Dallas Cowboys with nothing to lose. They had been eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the day with a win by the Chicago Bears, so they came in with unique circumstances against the Cowboys.
What they did with those was showcase that they can win with J.J. McCarthy, and that this defense can make stops when they need to.
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J.J. McCarthy showcased some impressive throws against the Cowboys and their stiff defense. He had some misses but the impressive plays far outweighed the bad that we saw at times. On top of that, the Vikings’ defense bent but never broke, and they showcased themselves with some depth players stepping up in the process. All in all, it was a great primetime showing for the Vikings, and now they head into Week 16 against the New York Giants.
Before that though, we need to discuss the studs and duds from this game.
Stud: J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy has been written off by many, including myself, but the last two weeks have spoken a lot about his resilience. In primetime against the Cowboys specifically, he showed that he has some velocity on his passes, can make throws to every level of the field, and can stop himself from turning the ball over. The first pass of the game was tipped for an interception, but after that, he was working well within the play designs given to him. If they can keep this up for the remaining three games of the season, they may have something finally.
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Dud: Chemistry between J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson
While a lot of the performance from McCarthy is worth writing home about, the connection between Justin Jefferson and him needs some work. It is slightly funny in the sense that he can connect with everyone else on the team in the numbers or in the hands consistently, except Jefferson. They did connect on a touchdown that was called back on a penalty, as well as later in the game on a pass that hit Jefferson’s hands in the endzone. All in all it isn’t a horrible situation, but it is one that needs a lot of work still.
Stud: Jalen Nailor
Jalen Nailor had three catches on the night for 47 yards and two scores in the process. He remains a safety blanket of sorts for J.J. McCarthy, but he deserves to be so much more. The team has shown they can split it across the talented group of receivers they have. However, the team needs to be able to get him more looks than beyond a safety option in the offense he has shown.
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Dud: Running Game
The team only had 77 rushing yards on the night despite their offensive success. Both Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason averaged less than three yards per carry, and going forward, that is not acceptable. They have mocked Jeremiyah Love, the Heisman Trophy finalist running back out of Notre Dame, several times. They need some sort of spark in 2026 to help this offense, and McCarthy can cause it right now, because this running game isn’t cutting it.
Stud: Offensive Line
No pressures were allowed tonight by the Vikings’ offensive line, thus no sacks for J.J. McCarthy. The running game, as we said, could have had some extra help, but the protection for McCarthy was paramount to their success. It is worth mentioning that this also came with an injury to Christian Darrisaw, so he missed time, and they achieved this with backup Justin Skule, manning one end of the line.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Studs and Duds from the Vikings win over the Cowboys
