The Vikings' massive upset win over the Lions on Sunday has revived their playoff hopes and given fans a reason to dream about what the rest of this season might hold with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. The win got the Vikings back to .500 at 4-4, kept them perfect within their division, and breathed life into their season in more ways than one.

The Minnesota Vikings fully expected to ride the rollercoaster of young quarterback development, with J.J. McCarthy effectively a rookie after the knee injury that kept him out of last season. When McCarthy was sidelined by a severely sprained ankle after his second game,

The Lions may have dropped a close game to the Vikings, but they are still a powerful team with no reason to panic

The two biggest upsets of the 2025 NFL season happened simultaneously on Sunday, upending the NFC North in the process.