Vikings Win while Losing their Quarterback, Again
Vikings Territory Breakdown Podcast
The Minnesota Vikings survived an aborted plane flight on their way to New York (due to mechanical problems) but they didn’t come out of the Meadowlands unscathed. The Vikings beat the New York Giants 16-13 to reach a record of 7-8 on the season, but they lost their starting QB for the fourth time this year, as J.J. McCarthy suffered a hand injury and had to exit the game before halftime. So, they win, but lose at the same time.
The low-scoring, injury-riddled slugfest aside, the Vikings find themselves at another inflection point of their season, awaiting (on Monday) news on the severity of McCarthy’s injury. It’s important he finishes the season on the field for both his own development and the organization’s ability to evaluate him. Thus far, complete evaluation of the second-year QB has proved difficult, as he missed his rookie campaign with a knee injury and missed 6.5 games in 2025 (due to ankle, concussion and hand injuries) compiling just 8.5 games in his career.
The hand-wringing over JJ continues, but not without him making progress along the way. The Vikings have won three games in a row, and McCarthy has shown improvement in all three (albeit, against poorer defenses than he had faced earlier in the season). Still, the progress is there, and Vikings fans have eagerly watched for it in a season that has been derailed from the postseason tracks.
The defense, however, has not cashed it in on 2025. They have played six straight games without giving up a touchdown pass and pitched another gem on Sunday against the G-Men (giving up just 33 yards passing and allowing no TDs while they were on the field). Their pride is on display each week, and offers some hope for where they want to go next season.
But before we get there, we need to discuss the remainder of this season, which is what the fellas at the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer and Hall of Fame selector for the Star Tribune and startribune.com) are all about. Tune in and check it out. Skol!
