In his first season as the starter, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy hasn’t had the best of times. He sustained an injury on his left leg, which kept him out of multiple games. That came after poor performances. In the face of adversity, the Michigan alum punched right back, silencing his critics, as he led a 27-24 win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Amid the celebrations, the 22-year-old earned a special mention from a former Michigan staff member.

Draped in Michigan’s ‘Blue-collar” pride, McCarthy threw two touchdown passes in the Vikings’ fourth win this season. For McCarthy, it was an emotional moment. “Just when you’re hurt, being on IR last year and being out for five [games in 2025], it absolutely kills me not being out there with those guys.” Owing to an ankle injury and a torn meniscus, he had missed the majority of his 2024 season. However, the grind didn’t stop there. Determined, he entered Ford Field as the 9.5-point underdogs and emerged victorious.

Former Michigan staff member Connor Stalion had a few words on his former player’s achievement. “Turns out when the Vikings are relatively healthy and JJ has more than 0.1 seconds of a clean pocket, he plays like the top 10 draft pick he is. Crazy how that works 🤷🏻‍♂️.”

Over the course of the game, he was sacked five times, with three of those sacks occurring in the second quarter. However, that didn’t deter him from sprinting for a 9-yard TD run.

Prior to the win over the Lions, the 6’3, 219-pound QB faced criticism after recording six sacks and two interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons. It all centered around his play-calling. “Not throwing the ball when he was out there,” as former Giants QB Phil Simms put it on Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The main focus of the criticism was his Michigan-style offensive strategy, which relied heavily on run plays.

Stalions, who himself faced harsh criticism over his reported role in the sign-stealing scandal, further shared. “A wise man once told me, ‘Isn’t it great? Once you face public humiliation, there’s nothing that fazes you.'”Stalion was a defensive analyst at Ann Arbor. However, after the sign-stealing scandal was uncovered, he was suspended from his position. “My favorite part of the media’s coverage of JJ’s injury is knowing he just laughs at it,” he added.

McCarthy did not let that criticism affect him, as he led the Vikings to another win.

J.J. McCarthy hits back at the critics

J.J. McCarthy smiled through all the criticism. “A lot of it just comes with the stigma of playing at Michigan and not throwing the ball a lot,” he said, per ESPN. He continued. “At the same time, it could be my frame. They don’t see a 6-foot-5, 240-pound guy, so how can he throw it 61 miles an hour at the combine and all that? But at the end of the day, it’s gonna show up.” And he did, didn’t he?

The very Michigan style, for which he was criticized, he paid tribute to by wearing a short-sleeved blue dress shirt with his initials “J.J.” stitched on the left breast. Following his senior collegiate year, he displayed his arm strength at the 2024 NFL Combine, throwing a 61 mph dart, closely touching the record held by Bills’ Josh Allen.

However, amid the criticism, McCarthy’s coaches and teammates have stood by his side. “The velocity on the ball and the spin on the ball, you know, he has a tight spin,” WR Justin Jefferson said of McCarthy back in June. “It definitely comes to you very quick — quicker than what you’d expect.”

Post-win, head coach Kevin O’Connell was proud of his QB. “We saw a lot of things that he’s capable of doing. And we saw some things that as he continues his ascension and his growth, he’ll only get better and better at.”

J.J. McCarthy’s NFL career has been full of challenges. But even in the face of adversity, he is slicing through all the criticism, hitting back at the skeptics.