The Minnesota Vikings may have been eliminated from playoff contention before kickoff, but that didn’t stop them from delivering a dominant offensive performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.
That showing was led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who turned in the best game of his young career.
The former first-round pick earned an 89.7 PFF overall grade, the highest single-game mark of his career and the third-highest among all quarterbacks in Week 15. It marked back-to-back strong outings for McCarthy, who now ranks as the fourth-highest graded quarterback over the past two weeks.
Even when things weren’t clicking earlier in the season, McCarthy never shied away from pushing the ball downfield. Entering Week 14, he ranked fourth among all quarterbacks in big-time throw rate at 6.6%.
JJ McCarthy with a rocket while rolling to his left pic.twitter.com/dhevExJYq4
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 15, 2025
McCarthy’s arm talent has never been in question.
He has elite velocity and isn’t afraid to showcase it. On the play above, the Vikings run a three-level flood concept, with the primary read typically the middle-layer crosser from Justin Jefferson, and the corner route serving as a clear-out. But when Jalen Nailor wins so cleanly on the corner, McCarthy immediately recognizes the opportunity and takes it.
It’s a throw that’s difficult for a right-handed quarterback even with a clean pocket, and McCarthy doesn’t have that luxury here, as pressure is bearing down from his right side. Still, he generates impressive velocity and placement to hit Nailor for the opening touchdown.
The big-time throws didn’t stop there. McCarthy added two more on the day, pushing his season-long big-time throw rate to 7.2%, tied for the highest among all quarterbacks in the NFL.
Really impressive McCarthy got enough on this throw while having to drift left pic.twitter.com/XL6HncBeJ6
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 15, 2025
Here, the Vikings dialed up a Mills concept to the far side of the field. In this two-man combination, the inside receiver runs an in-breaking route while the outside receiver attacks vertically on a deep post. It’s a concept designed to beat quarters coverage, as the in-breaker typically occupies the safety, leaving the outside corner isolated with outside leverage and vulnerable to being beaten over the top.
McCarthy diagnoses it quickly. He gives a brief glance to the near side and immediately moves on, recognizing the Cowboys are playing cloud coverage there and effectively doubling Justin Jefferson. When he confirms quarters to the far side, he knows the post is the answer. The most impressive part of the play is how McCarthy feels pressure coming off his right side, subtly drifts to buy time, and still has the arm strength to drive the throw downfield.
McCarthy’s final big-time throw of the night is the most encouraging of the three, as it perfectly highlights his processing speed, awareness under pressure, and confidence pulling the trigger.
Really love this from McCarthy. No hesitation to rip the seam pic.twitter.com/FZhsUnGHwU
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 15, 2025
Much of the early criticism of J.J. McCarthy centered on him hesitating, not trusting what he was seeing and holding the ball too long. This seam throw to T.J. Hockenson is the exact opposite of that.
The Vikings are running four verticals, an aggressive concept designed to stress the defense vertically while still being effective against multiple coverages. Dallas responds with Cover-6 (quarter-quarter-half), a split-field look where one side plays quarters and the other plays Cover-2. Four verticals can be particularly challenging for the Cover-2 side, as the deep safety must split the two vertical routes. If the linebackers don’t gain enough depth, the seam becomes vulnerable.
McCarthy diagnoses it immediately. As soon as he sees the middle linebacker flip his hips toward the near side, he knows the window is there. He trusts his arm to beat the safety, understands the underneath defender won’t get enough depth, and fires the ball on a rope into the seam for his third big-time throw of the game.
There’s no denying the pressure on McCarthy. The Vikings went all-in on him as their franchise quarterback this offseason, and the early returns were uneven. But development was always going to take time, and over the past few weeks, the confidence and decisiveness have clearly shown up on tape.
These remaining games are crucial for his growth, and if McCarthy continues to look like he did in Week 15, Minnesota should be right back in the NFC mix next season.