JJ McCarthy Outduels Hutchinson as Vikings Shock Lions in Motor City
November 3, 2025
JJ McCarthy is back in the lineup for Minnesota and returns to Michigan where he won his National Championship just two years ago. Due to so much missed time, this is his first time lining up against former team Aidan Hutchinson of the Lions and only his third career game played. Hutch was asked about the matchup ahead of game day and stated, “It’ll be exciting.. We have a great relationship, and I probably got to shoot him a text this week at some point”. Some of that excitement vanished once the game got started and JJ started carving up the Lions defense.
Detroit didn’t just hand the Vikings a win, it was a fight., and it started with a 40 yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta where he took about four or five Vikings defenders with him from the 5 yard line to the endzone. Two minutes later, JJ fired a touchdown pass to JJ and the game was on. The two teams would exchange two more touchdowns and a field goal for MN and the Vikings took a 17-14 lead into half. The home crowd was somewhat stunned. Detroit was inefficient on third downs and their running game was being stuffed. Gibbs averaged under 3 yards per carry with Montgomery have a little more success closer to 4. This was somewhat caused by the return of Andrew Van Ginkel but the Vikings were working as a unit to get things done. Gibbs couldn’t even find space in the pass game as he was only able to rack up three yards on his three grabs.
What McCarthy wasn’t doing through the air, he was getting done on the ground. The third quarter saw him find some space when he ran towards the right pylon for a 9 yard score. JJ wasn’t asked to do it all, his overall passing numbers were rather average but it’s about what he can do on the ground and how he takes care of the football. He won’t give the opposition the opportunity for a turn over by forcing the ball into double or triple coverage. His interception on the day came on a pass that was thrown behind his receiver and snatched off the hip by Terrion Arnold. It was a phenomenal defensive play but avoidable if JJ just led his receiver a little bit more. That will come with more reps and a consistent presence on the game and practice field. Ultimately, he made the throw at the end of the game that sealed their 27-24 victory in Detroit and allowed them to take the winning formation.
There was some fun banter between both Aidan and JJ a few times. Most notably on every pass play, you’d see a little shove from Hutch after the ball was gone. Not enough to draw a penalty, but one of those, “Hey, I’m right here” type moves to get his old teammates’ attention.
The big story at the end of the day will be the Lions lack of discipline, 10 penalties for 76 yards isn’t going to cut it. On top of that, key injuries and a costly fumble by David Montgomery gave Minnesota the ball in Detroit territory. It was a very sloppy game from the Lions, but that’s not to take any credit away from what the Vikings accomplished. They’re 4-4 now and earned a big victory in the NFC North. With their quarterback seemingly healthy now, they might be able to make a second half run and give the Lions a run for the division. Not to mention, the Packers took a big loss in week 9 as well.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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