Well, I got what I came for today...

Awesome team win!  JJM played very well!  4 out 4 good to great quarters!  Big plays by the defense and special teams, coaches called a good game.  Sweet!  Time to celebrate a win!

Big time team win. The offense made clutch plays, the defense got some big stops, and ST was solid as hell.

Our young QB just answered a bunch of questions. There are more, certainly, but yes: he can play a full game at least as good as his 4th quarter against the Bears.

Zanary wrote:
Big time team win. The offense made clutch plays, the defense got some big stops, and ST was solid as hell. Our young QB just answered a bunch of questions. There are more, certainly, but yes: he can play a full game at least as good as his 4th quarter against the Bears.

Yup of course a team win...And most of those TD's were short fields too. Great D and ST outings today. 

JJM showed his inexperience at times and he'd probably like 4-5 throws back too. But I saw enough to keep me encouraged as a fan and when it was all on the line? He didnt turtle-up. 

The kid has resilience.

J.J. McCarthy is simply a gamer.

He's 2-1 as a starter, with both wins over division rivals on the road. Vikings stun the Lions in Detroit.pic.twitter.com/vxWE2yUxvK

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 2, 2025

I didn't see any fat ladies singing.

The front 7 of defense won this game, outside of first drive, they consistently stepped up and kept pressure on Goff all day, best defensive effort against Detroit in some time. Offense did enough, ran the ball well and JJ made some big throws. He missed a number of easy ones, hopefully just due to being rusty. I can see some of the reports on how he throws the ball too hard with little touch, he has to do a much better job of putting the ball in a better position for the WRs, although he put it in a perfect spot on the 3rd down pass to win game. I think this is a win we can build on both sides of the ball.

purplefaithful wrote:
https://x.com/WillRagatz/status/1985093387343548907

Lot of interesting things on this big play -
- O'Neil destroys Hutchinson which is what gives JJ time
- JJ throws it well before Nailor ever looks for ball
- Looks like he could have also gone to Jefferson and Addison who did a great job of getting open
- Hockenson inexplicably cuts his route off 3 yards before 1st, not like he is going to make catch and fight for a 1st

FLVike wrote:
I didn't see any fat ladies singing.

That’s because their food stamps ran out today…….?

Well, well, well... did McCarthy do enough to shut up the haters?

Can we stop measuring his success by quarters? Kid looked pretty good today and he made some clutch throws. None bigger than the last one.

MAD GAINZ wrote:
Well, well, well...  did McCarthy do enough to shut up the haters?

Can we stop measuring his success by quarters?  Kid looked pretty good today and he made some clutch throws. None bigger than the last one.

The haters will always find something. We could break our SB curse, and the team/coaches/GM would be "failures" the following Spring if their draft strategy didn't align with those of the nega-nancies....

StickierBuns wrote:

Oh baby, watched every second. Super shocked the D showed up, where they been? And a run game? Seemed like a different team. Oh so happy to be wrong about this game. 

What can I say about JJ? Its going to be an uneven ride until he gets more reps and I've always maintained that. But you can see what he can be. He's  2-1 as a starter, both wins coming AT NFCN opponents. Go into Detroit and win? JJ and KOC have the same amount of wins playing in Detroit. He's only going to get better, that's what he does.

They just need to see more games....they'll understand in time. But unevenness aside, he's ice in the clutch. His athleticism is a weapon. And he's got the team eating out of his hand. JJ gets amped up, its why sometimes he misses a few easy throws....that will change with MORE REPS. He just needs to play more, its that simple. But look around the NFL yesterday: so many bad throws by really good QBs. Its not just JJ...its the position. But he's a special leader.

Biggest change I saw in the defense was Van Ginkel.  I truly believe he's the straw that stirs the drink for our D.  Is it a coincidence our two best defensive efforts this season are the two games he's played?

Here's the biggest thing I can say, after a little time to digest things and enjoying a ton of bobbleheads having to eat crow:

the team, FINALLY, got to show what they were built to be. JJM brings swagger and a ton of confidence when he's in there, and will be getting more 'seasoned' with every game. The o-line had some lumpy moments, but were finally getting cohesion as a unit; this is a big change from the patchwork reality we've been living. The defense put its personality on like a day-glow hoodie, basically telling the Lions that they intended to spend the game in their backfield. Our young, fearless kick returner and our badass kicker continued to be their solid selves.

Ladies and gentlemen...and, fellow big hairy oafs...we just met the 2025 Minnesota Vikings.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Biggest change I saw in the defense was Van Ginkel.  I truly believe he's the straw that stirs the drink for our D.  Is it a coincidence our two best defensive efforts this season are the two games he's played?

I thought it was Cashman, but its truly Van Ginkel.

MAD GAINZ wrote:

Biggest change I saw in the defense was Van Ginkel.  I truly believe he's the straw that stirs the drink for our D.  Is it a coincidence our two best defensive efforts this season are the two games he's played?

Van Ginkel is clearly a big part of our defense, but guys like Hargrave played much better in this one too.

MaroonBells wrote:

Van Ginkel is clearly a big part of our defense, but guys like Hargrave played much better in this one too.

Biggest mystery of the game for me. He balled out. What changed

pattersaur wrote:

Biggest mystery of the game for me. He balled out. What changed

At some point you gotta think professional pride kicks in...

purplefaithful wrote:

At some point you gotta think professional pride kicks in...

Me thinks it has to do with 10 days of Flores ripping their asses in practice and the fact that this was as close to a "must win" game as it gets this early in the season and the players knew it and played like it. Let's see if they keep that effort and focus against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company this weekend

StickierBuns wrote:

Its big to be 2-0 in the division with both of those games coming on the road. 4 games left against the NFCN and 3 of them at U.S. Bank. Just 1.5 games back of first now.

Stop teasing me...  Naughty naughty lol

supafreak84 wrote:

Me thinks it has to do with 10 days of Flores ripping their asses in practice and the fact that this was as close to a "must win" game as it gets this early in the season and the players knew it and played like it. Let's see if they keep that effort and focus against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company this weekend

I think BFlo had a good plan. The offense played their part and got the lead.  But that early game pressure up the middle got Goff off his spot.  Remember, Detroit has a rookie center.  The Vikes did to Detroit what they did to us last year.  Pressure up the middle made the QB jumpy and Detroit started keeping those dynamic backs in to block instead of going out in routes.

purplefaithful wrote:

Well that escalated quickly  :P