After scoring six points in their previous two games and getting shut out for the first time in 18 years in Seattle last week, the Vikings returned to U.S. Bank Stadium in dire need of a win that would end their four-game losing streak, give them their first home victory in nearly three months and restore some confidence in J.J. McCarthy’s development.
Fortunately for them, their home matchup with the Washington Commanders was exactly what they needed.
McCarthy threw three touchdown passes and finished with a 129.2 passer rating as the Vikings beat the visiting Commanders 31-0, winning for the first time since they beat the Detroit Lions on Nov. 2 and claiming their first home victory since Sept. 21 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was the first time in franchise history the Vikings had shut out an opponent the week after being shut out, and their second shutout in three years with Brian Flores as the defensive coordinator.
McCarthy finished 16-for-23 for 163 yards and three touchdowns, hitting Josh Oliver for two scores and T.J. Hockenson for the other TD. Jordan Mason, who paired with Aaron Jones Sr. for 128 rushing yards, provided the other touchdown on an 8-yard score in the second quarter.
Why it happened
After a week spent talking with McCarthy about playing faster and thinking less about his mechanics, the Vikings got the most mature performance of McCarthy’s short career. It came against a porous Commanders defense that had little to play for, but the Vikings have to feel good about the way the quarterback worked through progressions quickly and played decisively. The fact they played turnover-free football made the job easier for their defense, which took the ball away three times and knocked quarterback Jayden Daniels out of the game on Andrew Van Ginkel’s interception return in the third quarter.
What it means
The Vikings are 5-8 in a conference in which it might take 10 wins to reach the postseason, so it’s likely only a matter of time before their elimination becomes official. But these final weeks are about coaxing more efficiency out of McCarthy, and the Vikings will have to feel good about what they saw from the quarterback Sunday. They will have two more favorable matchups against the Dallas Cowboys’ and New York Giants’ defenses on the road before finishing the season with two at home against the Lions and the Green Bay Packers, so they have a chance to get McCarthy on a bit of a roll.
Play of the game
Daniels looked left on a fourth-and-3 from the Vikings 24-yard line midway through the third quarter, planning to throw a screen when Van Ginkel rushed free off the left side. Van Ginkel made Daniels his latest victim on a screen pass, changing his rush angle when he saw Daniels setting up to throw and intercepting the pass after deflecting it to himself. He returned it to the Commanders 19, setting up a field goal that made it 17-0 Vikings.
