Week 14: Vikings vs Commanders - Winners & Losers

The Minnesota Vikings won 31-0 against the Washington Commanders in their best offensive performance of the year. The Vikings move to 5-8 on the season as we take a look at the Winners and Losers from this game.

Winners of the Game

1. JJ McCarthy

This was, hands down, the most efficient game of JJ McCarthy's short NFL career. McCarthy completed just under 70% of his passes for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns. The yardage stats still aren't there, but he was efficient and accurate with his throws and scored touchdowns while in enemy territory. This was a great step in the right direction for the young quarterback, but we will need to see this on a consistent basis now.

The Commanders are ranked as one of the worst defenses in the league, and the Vikings face another struggling one next week in the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are a better team than the Commanders but still have holes in their defense, and it will be important that McCarthy can take advantage of the opportunity.

Overall, JJ played a clean game with no turnovers, threw 3 touchdown passes, and got a win, so not much else you can ask from the young quarterback.

2. Defensive Unit

What a game from Brian Flores' defense. They forced 3 turnovers in this game, including interceptions by Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel. Javon Hargrave also ran down Marcus Mariota late in the game to force and recover a fumble, putting the nail in the coffin. It was a great day overall, as the unit allowed only 99 yards passing and 107 yards rushing in what feels like their first shutout game in forever.

This really felt great, especially after last week when the Vikings were the ones getting shut out. It was a great turnaround for the team.

3. Kevin O'Connell

This was a real statement game for Kevin O'Connell. He showed he can switch up his offense from his beloved big chunk-play passing scheme. KOC really simplified the offense for JJ McCarthy, and it proved to work. Now we just need to hope that he doesn't lose patience and continues this more simplified approach through the end of the season to help JJ develop.

Once again, under Kevin O'Connell, he proved that if you win the turnover battle, you have a very good chance of winning the game — and his team did just that.

4. Offensive Line / Running-Back Room

The Vikings ran the ball a total of 34 times in today’s victory. Yes, Kevin O'Connell's offense ran the ball 34 times. Finally, the Vikings stuck with the run game rather than abandoning it to fit Kevin O'Connell's chuck-pass mindset. The Vikings’ offensive line paved the way for 162 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Between Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, JJ McCarthy, and Zavier Scott, they averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Just between the running backs, they averaged 5.1 yards per rush. This running-back duo is very good — unfortunately, they just haven’t gotten many opportunities to showcase it.

5. Tight-End Group

It would be in bad taste not to mention the tight-end group under the winners category. To start off, the Vikings ran plenty of 3 tight-end sets today, and I think it really helped improve the run game. Josh Oliver also caught 2 touchdowns on his 2 receptions for 24 yards, which was awesome to see. TJ Hockenson added 2 catches for 12 yards and a touchdown on the day.

Three touchdowns from the tight-end group is great to see, especially considering JJ McCarthy needs his safety-net guys to help him along his young NFL journey.

Losers of the Game

I am not going to nitpick here. There really were no losers in my opinion. I didn't see a single player or unit disappoint.

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