Vikings Nightmare Continues — in a Win
The Minnesota Vikings outlasted the New York Giants in Week 16, downing Jaxson Dart’s team by a score of 16-13. Usually, that’s music to the ears of fans, but this time, the win was bittersweet as quarterback J.J. McCarthy exited the game with a hand injury, missing the second half.
Minnesota escaped with the result, yet the game revived the team’s most persistent problem—another week where “winning” didn’t answer the quarterback questions.
Kevin O’Connell and Co. climb to 7-8 on the season, with more long-term questions than ever at quarterback. These are snap reactions to the win over New York.
The Vikings’ Quarterback Nightmare Resurfaced despite Beating Giants
Only the Vikings could make a win feel sweet and sour.
1. J.J. McCarthy has now missed 73% of all eligible snaps since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted him in April 2024. That’s not sustainable. The moment the guy turned the corner, showing the chops to be a franchise quarterback, he hurt his hand when Brian Burns destroyed him for a forced fumble. While the concern never went away, the Vikings’ brass has to decide if McCarthy’s durability is worth it as the QB1 investment in 2026.
McCarthy getting hurt the moment his development trended positively is an absolute nightmare.
2. At the very least — the absolute bare minimum — Minnesota will need a Top 5 QB2 in the NFL when free agency arrives. Even if McCarthy miraculously heals by Christmas and throws eight touchdowns in the next two games, his injury woes are a glaring red flag. Adofo-Mensah will need a backup quarterback at the level of Kirk Cousins, Mac Jones, or Malik Willis, for example. Or — if he wants to try a reclamation project like Will Levis or Anthony Richardson, that can work, too.
3. McCarthy’s injury will also reignite deep-sea fishing theories at quarterback, including would-be trades for Joe Burrow or Kyler Murray. McCarthy can ball, but it just doesn’t matter if fans have to hold their breath every time he gets sacked.
4. Regarding the game — took us several paragraphs to get to that — non-McCarthy injuries also spoiled the fun. Center Ryan Kelly and running back Jordan Mason left the contest, while Christian Darrisaw, Josh Metellus, and Jonathan Greenard didn’t play at all. The Vikings will have serious skeleton crews against the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in the final two weeks.
5. O’Connell continued his preference to run the ball more than pass, basically out of necessity when Max Brosmer entered the game. Minnesota is 3-0 in the last three games because it has finally realized it must run the ball with subpar quarterback play — and due to the fact that the Commanders, Cowboys, and Giants’ defenses are terrible.
6. If you’re a Justin Jefferson 1,000-yard watcher — this website certainly is — he needs 83 yards to keep his 1,000-yard streak alive. That’s quasi-doable, but Brosmer will have to target him frequently in the next two games if McCarthy can’t play. The game when McCarthy and Jefferson began to click, McCarthy got hurt. You can’t make it up.
7. Blake Cashman had 17 tackles. Hopefully you started him in IDP fantasy football leagues.
8. Jalen Redmond did Jalen Redmond things, tabulating a sack, tackle for loss, and a batted pass. If the Vikings had drafted him instead of scooping him from the UFL, he’d be a big man deal in the NFL. But he flies under the radar because nobody knows who he is.
9. If one assumes the Ravens beat the Packers next weekend (may not happen), it’s actually quite funny because the Vikings will play the spoiler role on Christmas against the Lions, and if they fail, they’ll get a chance to spoil the Packers’ playoffs in Week 18.
10. Sunday’s win was really awkward. The whole reason to get invested in Vikings football this week was to observe McCarthy’s growth and development while hoping he stayed healthy. Instead, his wide receivers dropped a few crucial passes, and he left the game with an injury.
11. Jordan Addison really, really should have caught the 1st Quarter touchdown. He squandered McCarthy’s single best throw in the NFL through eight starts.
12. Jonathan Allen fired up his best game — first good game? — as a member of the Vikings, notching 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Here’s to hoping he continues that in 2026 if he’s on the roster.
Bonus: Yes, the Vikings “screwed up” their draft order by one spot. The Cowboys lost to the Los Angeles Chargers, causing them to leapfrog Minnesota for the 13th overall pick (if the season ended on Sunday afternoon). It’s also worth noting that the purple team probably won’t sweep the Lions and Packers, so that pick could climb back to 11, 12, or 13.
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