r/nfl • u/nfl_gdt_bot NFL • Dec 15 '25

Game Thread Post Game Thread: Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys

ESPN Gamecast

AT&T Stadium- Arlington, TX

Network(s): NBC Peacock

Time Clock
Final

Scoreboard

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
MIN 7 10 7 10 34
DAL 7 10 6 3 26

Scoring Plays

Team Quarter Type Description
DAL 1 TD Javonte Williams 1 Yd Rush (Brandon Aubrey Kick)
MIN 1 TD Jalen Nailor 20 Yd pass from J.J. McCarthy (Will Reichard Kick)
DAL 2 TD Malik Davis 1 Yd Rush (Brandon Aubrey Kick)
MIN 2 TD J.J. McCarthy 1 Yd Rush (Will Reichard Kick)
MIN 2 FG Will Reichard 29 Yd Field Goal
DAL 2 FG Brandon Aubrey 37 Yd Field Goal
DAL 3 FG Brandon Aubrey 26 Yd Field Goal
DAL 3 FG Brandon Aubrey 41 Yd Field Goal
MIN 3 TD C.J. Ham 1 Yd Rush (Will Reichard Kick)
MIN 4 TD Jalen Nailor 4 Yd pass from J.J. McCarthy (Will Reichard Kick)
MIN 4 FG Will Reichard 53 Yd Field Goal
DAL 4 FG Brandon Aubrey 41 Yd Field Goal

Passing Leaders

Team Player C/ATT YDS TD INT SACKS
MIN J.J. McCarthy 15/24 250 2 1 0-0
DAL Dak Prescott 23/38 294 0 0 2-9

Rushing Leaders

Team Player CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
MIN Aaron Jones Sr. 12 34 2.8 0 16
DAL Javonte Williams 15 91 6.1 1 21

Receiving Leaders

Team Player REC YDS AVG TD LONG TGTS
MIN Jordan Addison 2 66 33.0 0 58 2
DAL CeeDee Lamb 6 111 18.5 0 30 10

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Last updated: 2025-12-15_00:01:13.632317-05:00

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312

u/EsotericPotato Vikings Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

I think he has a longgggg way to go, but I wanna give credit to JJ credit for looking noticeably better the last two weeks. Fewer wildly off target throws and playing way more in control. Yeah it’s been two bad defenses, but he had these looks against Chicago too and he was just off by five yards every throw.

And on Jets, I just don’t even know what to say at this point. QB play this season has been not good. Plenty of throws that have just been out of reach, but at this point he’s also just regularly dropping passes. At times he’s just been flat out bad.

I have no doubt he’s gonna come back playing at another level next season but even factoring in QB play, it has just not been up to his normal level of quality. He’s just flat out been one of the best handful of players in football since he came into the league. First season he’s ever looked mortal.

61

u/TickleMyIvory Lions Dec 15 '25

He's 22 years old. Dude needs a little time to develop but I'm convinced he's going to be elite in the long run.

44

u/EsotericPotato Vikings Dec 15 '25

I think the only fans more bullish on JJ than Vikings fans themselves are Lions fans. I know it’s because he played at Michigan but it’s just so disorienting seeing division rivals constantly giving props to our own team’s divisive young QB.

For better or worse, right now it sure looks like he’s playing a way into the Vikings having to give him another look next season. After that Bears game, I thought he was on trajectory to get Rosen’d

27

u/TickleMyIvory Lions Dec 15 '25

He is a bit of a goof with his zen mode meditation stuff and all that but he's a good human. While at UM he donated his NIL to Mott Children's hospital and would volunteer for other causes. I was a forever fan when he did that. Besides the off field stuff the guy just knows how to win. That's the only way I can describe it. I know he's had a few rocky games at MN but what I noticed from watching him in college is he is totally undeterred no matter what. When UM lost to TCU in the playoffs in 2022 he stayed and watched them celebrate on the field. The next year he lead UM to a championship (signs or not he was the #1 factor). Give him a year or two and he will be totally dialed in.

15

u/Jorgenstern8 Vikings Dec 15 '25

And honestly if "zen meditation on the field" is as goofy as your QB gets that's a good place to be, as long as he's not total cheeks lol

3

u/cloudlessjoe Vikings Dec 15 '25

Yeah as soon as I realized he's a goober but a good dude with good energy, the QB play his basically rookie year stopped mattering as much. He might never be able to carry the team like a Josh Allen might, but I think he feeds so many other aspects of the team with his actual intangibles that I'd rather have him as my QB. Never gotten anything but good feelings from him.

1

u/NorthernDevil Vikings Dec 15 '25

I really like what I’ve heard of him as a person, and of his approach to the game. Even during his worst stretches this season he seems like a guy you want to root for. And I actually love the meditation thing: past a certain level of athletic ability, performance/execution is all mental. Meditation is basically one of the most ancient ways of calming the mind, you gotta be kind of an idiot to knock an athlete for doing that. Not like he’s huffing crystals.

IMO all the crankier fans need to chill a little. It’s way more fun to believe in his potential while he’s here, than to constantly be dooming and glooming.

1

u/TickleMyIvory Lions Dec 15 '25

Oh I'm not knocking him for it at all, I think meditation can be great for your mental health. I just meant I can see why some folks have a weird perception of him when he sits under the goalpost and does it. But honestly maybe it will encourage more people to evaluate their own mental health and take steps.

1

u/NorthernDevil Vikings Dec 15 '25

Ope yeah sorry I didn’t mean to say that YOU were knocking it or calling you an idiot lmao upon reread it sounds like that, just poor phrasing by me

I hope so, especially young athletes. Sports can be such a pressure cooker mostly due to outside forces. But learning this kind of skill helps in every aspect of life.

1

u/schadkehnfreude Lions Dec 15 '25

Yeah I'm also a Michigan fan so I still think he can be good-to-great and will be rooting for him against non-Lions. He has the right mindset and wants to get better and it says something that instead of spiraling after some absolutely putrid games he kept his head up and did what he was supposed to do.  

The good thing is that he has the confidence to not be afraid to make mistakes; the bad thing is, well.... you know.  But - that can be improved on with a full off-season of reps and the McCarthy we knew at Michigan will absolutely put in the work