J.J. McCarthy returned to action on Sunday vs. the Lions after missing the last five contests with a high ankle sprain, and he did not disappoint in his performance. The quarterback, in just his third NFL appearance, led the Vikings to a 27-24 win over an NFC North rival.
On the call for the Vikings-Lions game was a fellow Michigan alum Tom Brady, who was thoroughly impressed with the young quarterback’s performance. In the third quarter as Minnesota led 24-14, the seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback had nothing but positive things to say about McCarthy.
“Outside of the one throw where he threw it behind [Jalen] Nailor on the interception, there’s so many positives from what I’ve seen here today,” Brady said. “Accurate throws, good decisions, good times to throw the ball away. Definitely giving this team the spark that it needed coming into a very tough place to play.”
“There’s so many positives from what I’ve seen here today.” @TomBrady shares his thoughts on J.J. McCarthy and the @Vikings performance so far today ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UYvKiSCEzF
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 2, 2025
McCarthy finished the day with 143 yards for two touchdowns and one interception on 14-of-25 passing, with a 82.6 passer rating. While his day wasn’t perfect by any means, he did well enough to earn his flowers from the G.O.A.T.
The quarterback will look to continue impressing when the 4-4 Vikings face the Ravens next Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Brady Was Very Impressed With J.J. McCarthy's Performance vs. Lions.
