Week 15: Vikings vs Cowboys - Winners & Losers

The Minnesota Vikings won 34-26 against the Dallas Cowboys in JJ McCarthy's best game of the year. The Vikings move to 6-8 on the season as we take a look at the Winners and Losers from this game.

Winners of the Game

1. JJ McCarthy

This game was huge for the 22-year-old quarterback. JJ McCarthy threw for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns on a 63% completion day. McCarthy griddy'd one into the end zone as well on a fake handoff, leaving him with wide-open space to score a touchdown. He took 0 sacks on the day, which was great to see, and led the Vikings to a very fun Sunday Night Football victory in Dallas. McCarthy over these last two games has shown major improvement, posting a 108 rating last night.

The mechanics still aren’t sharp, but JJ McCarthy is showing a lot of confidence and improvement in his accuracy. Exactly what we wanted to see to close out the 2025 season.

2. Kevin O'Connell

Every Vikings fan has been wondering if Kevin O’Connell can stay away from his normal game script and simplify the offense for his young quarterback. Vikings fans were pleasantly surprised with that answer being yes. O’Connell coached a great game and gave his quarterback every opportunity to succeed. Despite the run game not working too well, O’Connell was able to draw up efficient pass plays while also creating more deep-ball opportunities for McCarthy.

It was overall just a very good game, and I think Kevin O’Connell reminded everyone why he is still one of the best head coaches in the league.

3. Jalen Nailor

Jalen Nailor, in his 4th NFL season and contract year, has shown a lot of flashes over the last two seasons. This season especially, Nailor has made some very big plays and posted solid stats as the 3rd wide receiver despite the lack of pass production from the offense. Nailor had 3 catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas defense and will likely earn a big payday as a true wide receiver two somewhere this offseason.

4. Offensive Line

The run game may not have been great last night at 2.9 yards per carry on 22 attempts from Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, but the pass protection was phenomenal. The Vikings gave up 0 sacks to their quarterback, which was great to see, especially against a solid pass-rushing front. The Vikings were also without Christian Darrisaw; despite this, Justin Skule held up just enough to fill in for the superstar left tackle.

5. TJ Hockenson

It was good to see T.J. Hockenson have back-to-back pretty good weeks. Hockenson caught 4 passes for 66 yards and finally looks like a safety blanket that JJ McCarthy can rely on in his young career. T.J. still does not look like his true old self from before his gruesome injury, but he looks better than he did at the beginning of the season.

Losers of the Game

1. Justin Jefferson

This is unfamiliar territory for the superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson posted a 63.9 PFF grade last night, which was the 5th worst on the team. It is fair to say some of Jefferson’s drop-off has been attributed to the lack of chemistry or struggles from JJ McCarthy. Regardless of JJ McCarthy, Jefferson did not have a great game last night, with a drop in the end zone for a missed opportunity at a touchdown. I am not worried about Jefferson because he makes that play almost 10 out of 10 times, but it just sucked to see him miss out on a touchdown. He also scored a touchdown that was called back due to Josh Oliver not reporting as eligible.

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