Souhan: J.J. McCarthy takes Vikings fans on a wild ride in upset of the Lions

DETROIT - J.J. McCarthy is promising to put the “drama” in Dramamine.

If his third NFL start is an accurate indicator, Vikings fans better stock up on Prozac, Tums and CBD.

In a wildly entertaining and uneven performance Sunday, the Vikings’ once-and-current starting quarterback led what is certainly his franchise to a 27-24 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

McCarthy has started three NFL games. The two in which he faced an NFC North rival on the road, he produced dramatic victories.

This was a major upset, and not just because that word described the state of fans’ stomachs all afternoon.

McCarthy played a brilliant first quarter, often looked lost or overwhelmed during the middle of the game, then made winning plays down the stretch.

His last pass came on third-and-5 from the Vikings 28-yard line with 1:41 remaining. Having thrown mostly fastballs all day, McCarthy threw a beautiful touch pass to Jalen Nailor for 16 yards — Nailor’s first catch of the game — to seal the victory.

“It was awesome,” he said, choking up. “When you’re hurt — being on IR last year and being out for five weeks this year absolutely kills me. Not being out there with those guys, because I love every single one of them."

McCarthy won a national title for the University of Michigan, where he would show up for games wearing what looks like a gas-station work shirt with his initials embroidered on the chest. He wore that outfit again Sunday: blue work shirt, black cargo pants, black undershirt, black cap, untied gray shoes, and hair that stuck out at right angles.

He looked like the guy who cleans the pressbox after games, not the one who wrote the best story of the season.

“I’ve shed a lot of blood and tears in this state,” he said. “There’s so many relationships I’ve built over the three years that I was at Michigan.”

At times McCarthy looked like a panther, at times like a baby giraffe. His final stats — 14-for-25 for 143 yards — don’t hint at reality.

The Vikings experienced Brett Favre in 2009. Now they’re experiencing what Green Bay Packers fans did when Favre was a youngster — the wild plays and wild swings of a burgeoning talent.

McCarthy has played in three NFL games. He engineered a wild comeback victory in Chicago with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. He played poorly and was injured against an Atlanta defense that has succeeded in stopping a few top quarterbacks this season.

Upon his return from a high right ankle sprain that inspired all kinds of inane conspiracy theories, McCarthy again looked like a premier athlete who looks like he wants to throw an 80-yard touchdown pass on every play.

He knows how to talk a good game, too. On Saturday, the team’s captains gave speeches. Asked about that, McCarthy said: “I just couldn’t sleep. It felt like I was catching this glare from the silver platter with the juicy opportunity on top of it.

“That’s what I told the guys, `You know, this opportunity is something that we’ve been asking for and praying for ever since we started wearing pads. You put everything into this moment, put everything into this game.”

He threw a bullet to Justin Jefferson for one touchdown, threw back against his body to T.J. Hockenson while running to the right for another touchdown, and outran the Detroit defense for an easy touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Then came that clinching throw to Nailor.