I’ll start with the juiciest part: JJ McCarthy came in for the New York Giants and nearly pulled off a comeback, with the Giants up 34-10 in the 4th quarter. He threw for 243 passing yards, rushed for 26 more, and threw one passing touchdown, but he also threw an interception in…drumroll…11 minutes.
As a contributor to the Daily Norseman, I feel the need to discuss this. Okay, you twisted my arm… I want to talk about this.
DN’s game-day discussion (and Vikings-related social media) ran the gamut from calling the trade the worst thing to happen to the Vikings since the 1998 NFC Championship Game to casually dismissing it as a giant nothingburger, shunning it like a mosquito at a picnic.
While I have found myself in the heated Kirk Cousins debate that has divided the fan base in the daily DN threads and elsewhere, I believe both sides have truth. I feel the truth falls somewhere in the middle. This time? I think there is a better chance of a clear win.
Watching it live, McCarthy showed the same flashes of magic he did last season. The man clearly has an intangible quality that you can’t teach. I actually forgot it was a Giants game for a moment; I was rooting so hard for him to pull it off.
But some important caveats. First, the New Orleans Saints game plan was designed for Jameis Winston, not McCarthy. Second, up 34-10, the Saints clearly played a more preventative defense to keep the Giants’ offense on the field. That said, McCarthy handled the chunk completions. Third, the Saints defense is not that good. Finally, while he has blocking, McCarthy should have a second that can create residual chaos.
As the episode unfolded, I kept asking myself: How could the Vikings give Christian Ponder 36 starts in four seasons and JJ McCarthy only 10 starts in one season? I really can’t get my head out of it. The Vikings ate $28.5 million in dead cap to turn the page on Cousins. Can’t they take a $6.95 million hit on a higher cap to keep McCarthy next year? You know, to make sure they have at least one QB under contract for 2027?
Yes, yes, I know: the 5th-year decision option also appeared. So don’t take it. This will still give you more time to see the finished product. If it ends badly, let him walk. If he looks the part and improves, release him to something manageable. If he becomes the starter and has a good season, tag him to buy out the season and make a bigger long-term deal. Are we just going to ignore what’s going on with Bryce Young in Carolina?
McCarthy will be the Giants’ starter until his play no longer warrants it. He needs it. You know what Jameis Winston is in his 12th season. He can take a team’s fan base to its highest peak. Unfortunately, that also means more will fall when the inevitable, inexplicable high-gain blocks start coming in a row. John Harbaugh will have to come to terms with McCarthy’s unknown potential and ceiling. The NFC East is theirs for the taking. The Eagles are going through a bad season, and Jalen Hurts is now out for the year. The Cowboys have one of the worst defenses I have ever seen. And Commanders are the definition of mediocrity. Winston is still available, worst case scenario.
But hey, this discussion could end soon. The Giants hit the road to face a Houston Texans team that is finally playing like it should. Their defense is among the best in the NFL. McCarthy can go there and lay an egg, just like last season’s game at Lambeau Field. Sunday can be a mirage, a mischievous performance aided by auspicious events. A slight deviation for a career destined to be a backup quarterback.
Or…he’s good at playing and being the quarterback I always thought he could be. I’m not going out on a limb to say the Giants would have won that game if McCarthy had started. If he puts together a string of wins over the next month, the collective anxiety among Vikings fans will quickly turn to discomfort. If he leads the Giants to the playoffs? Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Can’t happen. won’t happen. Go Cowboys. Go Commanders. Heck, I’ll even root for the Eagles. please Someone stepped.
We’re on a collision course with a JJ McCarthy-led Giants team in the playoffs, aren’t we? This would be the most Vikings result imaginable. I can’t talk about it anymore.
WEEK 7 PREVIEW: MUST WIN
The Minnesota Vikings come home, rested and (probably) close to fully healthy, to face an Indianapolis Colts team that is an absolute train wreck right now. They are 2-4, just lost to the winless Tennessee Titans at home, their general manager Chris Ballard has been fired, coach Shane Steichen could be next, rumors are swirling that their best offensive player, Jonathan Taylor, could be moved before the trade deadline, and their best player in the secondary, Sauce Gardner, will likely miss the Vikings game as well. Other than that, things go swimmingly.
For the third straight game, the Vikings will face a porous defense. The Colts are ranked 27thth in points per game, 28th in yards per play, 26th in sacks, and 29th on obstructions. As far as I can see, they don’t crack the Top 20 in any other traditional defensive category: total yards allowed, pass yards allowed, or rush yards allowed. And this is even with holding the Tennessee Titans’ anemic unit to just 186 total yards (and somehow still losing). When they faced top offenses this year, they gave up 523 total yards to the Kansas City Chiefs and 508 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are hoping to have Christian Darrisaw, Jordan Addison, Jordan Mason, and TJ Hockenson back for this one. Even if not all of them can play, they have no reason not to move the ball and score at least 28 points here. With Sauce Gardner out, the Colts also appear to be without other key contributors, including DE Arden Key. If the Vikings hold the ball, they should be close to or exceed 30 points against the Saints on the road. Now they’re back home, facing an equally porous defense. You do it.
Brian Flores has the Vikings defense rolling at a potentially historic pace heading into this one. I mentioned this last week, so there’s no need to repeat it. They now face a Daniel Jones-led Colts offense that is struggling. ESPN Colts reporter Stephen Holder has a great article on this this week. It didn’t go well. Jones has become a turnover machine, and when he’s not turning the ball over, things aren’t much better. As Holder noted, he hovers near the bottom in most categories, including QBR (30th), completion rate (29th), and yards per attempt (29th). Jones obviously hasn’t fully recovered from the torn Achilles tendon in his right (calf), which is always tricky for QBs. Dan Marino was never the same after him, and Kirk Cousins is just now starting to look like the guy he was for us, almost three full years later.
Either way, Brian Flores is the last person Jones wants to see on opposing sidelines. This isn’t the 2022 season anymore, and the Vikings’ bend-and-break defense won’t be back in Week 7 of the 2026 season. Ugh, another Giants reference. No, we’re not going to face a Giants team led by JJ McCarthy in the playoffs. It can’t happen. won’t happen. Don’t even think about it.
Still, what’s more concerning about Jones’ struggles is that, while not elite, the Colts WR group is still talented, even without 1,000+ yard receiver Alec Pierce. Keenan Allen may be 34, but he’s still dangerous and leads the WR group in receptions. Josh Downs leads the way in receiving yards and can also stretch the defense, with a team high of 20+ receiving-yard plays. Even our old friend Laquon Treadwell is approaching 200 yards receiving so far. Tight end Tyler Warren is among the best in the NFL and leads all Colts pass catchers with 30 receptions. He’s Jones’ safety blanket, and you’ll expect him to help offset the blitz barrage coming his way, both as a blocker and a quick outlet receiver.
No news here, but the Colts offense runs on superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, who is having another strong season. He is 6th in rushing yards (492) and tied for first in rushing TDs (7). If there is one area of concern, his yards per attempt dropped to a career low of 4.0, down from 4.9 in 2025 and his previous low of 4.4 in 2023. He will face a Vikings unit of 5th in the NFL, giving up just 86.6 yards per game. And it’s only that high because of a head-scratching Week 4 performance against the Dolphins and Ollie Gordon II (100 yards on nine carries). Still trying to figure out what happened there.
Listen, this is the NFL: parity is the name of the game, and any team can beat any team any week. I expect Kevin O’Connell to bring home what happened against an underdog Colts team at US Bank Stadium in 2022. Yes, when the Colts led 33-0 at halftime. I know, I know, we won the game. But that inconsistent, undisciplined performance is a canary in the coal mine for what’s to come in the playoffs against…ummm dammit…the Giants. Ugh!
Bottom line: the Colts are a talented and desperate team (a dangerous combination), but the Vikings have to win this game. The bye loss will immediately stir memories of 2016, when 5-0 in a bye turned into 7-7 on Dec. 1St. Games against the Lions, Bills, Packers, and 49ers follow and do nothing to help old nightmares in a wooden crate, never to be seen or heard from again. If we’re going to be taken seriously as a championship contender, we need to win games like this comfortably. And that’s what I believe will happen.