FULL SCORE
Michael Baca’s delivery:
- An efficient display from McCarthy brings relief. Many injuries and some poor outings from JJ McCarthy ran into panic in Minnesota midway through the season, but the second-year quarterback’s performance Sunday was good enough to quell those concerns. After missing last week’s game with a concussion, McCarthy came out of the gate firing strong, accurate passes to lead to consecutive touchdowns to open the game, the second a 19-play, 98-yard drive that took 12:01 off the clock and set the tone for a dominant first half for the Vikings. As the game got away from Washington and with Minnesota’s backs producing a healthy ground offense (162 yards), much less was asked of McCarthy in the second half, but he still remained efficient when needed, throwing two touchdowns to extend the lead. McCarthy completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions (129.2 passer rating) and extended several plays with his legs (19 yards). He led an extremely efficient offense, converting 6-of-11 third downs, scoring TDs on all four red-zone possessions and punting just once on seven drives. There wasn’t much pressure on McCarthy in the one-sided affair, but when there was a game, the Vikings’ potential future at QB was impressive in his seventh career start.
- Daniels shows rust in shorter returns. Jayden Daniels left in the third quarter after appearing to aggravate the left elbow injury that kept him out the last three games. What the Commanders star QB used to do was exciting to begin with but quickly turned into an off-show. 28 meter strike to Terry McLaurin on his opening drive, Daniels signaled that he was back to form, and the Chiefs drove into the red zone rather seamlessly. But that’s where Daniels’ struggles began, throwing three consecutive incompletions from the 2-yard line that showed his timing and accuracy aren’t quite there yet. Washington certainly tried to protect Daniels in his expected return, calling plenty of screen passes and the QB getting most of his snaps in the shotgun. Still, the Chiefs’ offensive line allowed nine pressures and one sack on Daniels’ 25 dropbacks. Daniels threw an interception on the final throw of his comeback, getting hurt while the Vikings tried to return the pick. He completed 9 of 20 passes for 78 yards (one INT) on four drives. It was a disappointing result on a potentially exciting day for Washington. Zach ErtzA horrific knee injury in the second half made the shutout loss all the more brutal.
- Van Ginkel does it again. It’s a play Andrew Van Ginkel has done it time and time again – knowing the screen to perfection and hooking a quick pass for an interception with plenty of room in front of him for a big comeback. The Vikings outside linebacker did it again Sunday, picking off Jayden Daniels’ pass before pulling it on the run and running 40 yards on the return, nearly picking up his fourth career pick if not for Terry McLaurin’s devastating tackle. It was arguably the play of the match considering Daniels was injured during the comeback, but it also turned the contest into a one-sided affair. The Vikings defense was dominant, allowing 206 total yards and no scores while notching two sacks and two picks. The collective performance of the Brian Flores division was crucial in producing the right game from McCarthy.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Commanders-Vikings (via NFL Pro): JJ McCarthy threw three touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career against the Chiefs, completing 16-of-23 passes for 163 yards. McCarthy averaged 2.56 seconds to throw, his fastest in any game this season by more than a quarter of a second. He completed 10 of 11 rushes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
NFL Research: The Vikings lost, 26-0, to the Seahawks in Week 13 before knocking off the Chiefs in Week 14. They are the first team to shut out and then shut out an opponent in the next game since the Broncos in 1992. They are also the first team in NFL history to shut out an opponent by 25-plus points in one game and then shut out an opponent by 25-plus points in the next game.