The Minnesota Vikings walked into Lambeau Field hoping to steady a fading season. Instead, they walked out with another crisis: a quarterback unraveling, a star receiver at his breaking point, and a front office already bracing for what comes next. The more the losses pile up, the clearer the future becomes, and it may not include J.J. McCarthy as the starter.

Minnesota’s 23-6 loss to Green Bay pushed the Vikings to 4-7 and deepened their quarterback crisis. J.J. McCarthy delivered his most concerning performance yet: 12-of-19 passing, 87 yards, two interceptions, and five sacks.

Justin Jefferson didn’t hide how the loss is affecting him. His tone echoed the visible frustration on the sideline and inside the locker room. It also matched the growing sentiment that the Vikings can’t keep waiting for a breakthrough that may not come.

“We lost. Again. I hate to lose,” he said postgame. “It’s frustrating… saying the same things every single week, expecting things to change the following week. And we’re still in the same spot. We’ve just got to figure it out,” Jefferson said.

The offense produced 4 net yards in the second half, a staggering collapse that erased any hope of a late surge. McCarthy’s season line with six touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and around 20 sacks places him in rare, troubling company. He’s now the only Vikings quarterback besides Christian Ponder in the last 30 years to throw multiple interceptions in three straight games.

Despite the mounting issues, Kevin O’Connell insisted the team can still win with McCarthy. But his answer came with a qualifier: Minnesota must “not doing things that lose games.” That was echoed in the locker room, where frustration spilled over.

The second half against Green Bay was alarming. Each pass attempt looked less functional than the last. The final six games are now an audition not just for progress, but for survival as the future starter.

While the coaching staff publicly backs McCarthy, the organization is quietly preparing contingency plans. Sources say Minnesota is exploring veteran quarterback options for the offseason, regardless of McCarthy’s finish. And if the rookie’s struggles continue at this severe level, that timeline could accelerate.

While McCarthy and the offense continue to unravel, the other side of the ball is telling a very different story, one where the defense is being pushed past its limits.

Vikings’ defense left stranded again as offense collapses

The Minnesota Vikings certainly put in the effort, but once again, they found themselves lacking support. The final score of 23-6 in favor of Green Bay doesn’t quite capture the whole picture for Brian Flores’ squad, which has consistently held its own while the offense struggles to keep up.

The defense started off strong, managing to limit Jordan Love’s effectiveness and forcing the Packers into a more cautious game plan for much of the first half. With no big plays in the air, Green Bay turned to the ground game, grinding out yards with Emanuel Wilson. Even so, Flores’ unit kept things close enough for the Vikings to remain within striking distance.

However, the momentum shifted as the game progressed. A special-teams miscue pinned the defense deep in the third quarter, and Green Bay capitalized with a short-field touchdown. Suddenly down by two scores, Minnesota’s defense faced a familiar pattern: too many snaps, too few breaks, and no help from an offense that produced just 145 total yards.

Still, the unit fought, limiting explosive plays, but not enough to change the outcome. It forced long fields. It generated pressure, just not at the game-changing rate that Green Bay’s front did against J.J. McCarthy. Micah Parsons’ dominance on the other side only magnified how much Minnesota asked of its own defenders, who spent the second half backpedaling while the offense stalled.

The late interceptions thrown by McCarthy sealed the result and left the defense back on the field to absorb the finishing blows. By then, Lambeau was roaring, and the Vikings’ defense was simply out of gas.

Now 4–7, Minnesota heads to Seattle needing answers on offense. The defense has kept the team competitive far longer than expected. But even the strongest units can only hold out for so long when they’re left to play uphill every week.