J.J. McCarthy’s personality is a shot of oxygen for a Vikings franchise that, since Fran Tarkenton, has spent decades trying out the wrong young QBs.

On Sunday, the Michigan alum threw a pair of touchdowns, sealing the 27-24 win over the on the road, and his newborn son Rome was taking it all in as his number one fan, according to McCarthy's fiancee, Katya Kuropas.

“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.”

Seven-time Super Bowl champion QB Tom Brady dissected his fellow Michigan quarterback on Sunday’s Fox broadcast.

After Minnesota's victory over the Lions, Kuropas took to social media to share a photo of 10 pregame picks for the Week 9 game at Ford Field in Detroit. All 10 favored Jared Goff and company to take down the Vikings, who entered the contest on a two-game losing skid.

J.J. McCarthy got emotional talking about the reception he got from his teammates in the locker room postgame. Can see how much this meant to him after everything he's dealt with on the injury front. pic.twitter.com/CEw3Sp3Kav

With McCarthy finally making his return, the Vikings received huge injury news that is great for the young signal caller's return. NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed inactives and actives for teams heading into Week 9, and the Vikings received some huge updates on two players that the team desperately needs.

J.J. McCarthy completed only 14 passes, but his final one was exactly what the Vikings needed. Junfu Han / Imagn Images (Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Nov. 2, 2025.) 3.