What We Saw: Week 9

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Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions

Final Score: Vikings 27, Lions 24

Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)

In J.J. McCarthy‘s first game in Eastern Michigan since leading the Michigan Wolverines to a national title, the second-year QB led the Minnesota Vikings to a stunning win over the Detroit Lions. The Lions were under duress all day from the Vikings’ blitz, and Jared Goff and the rest of the Goffense struggled to move the ball most of the afternoon. A ton of untimely penalties, a blocked field goal, and uncreative play-calling from John Morton certainly didn’t help, either. The Vikings will play host to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, while the Lions will look to get back into the win column in our nation’s capital.

Four Up

J.J. McCarthy — The stat line isn’t terribly impressive, but the second-year QB led the Vikings to a crucial win through the air and on the ground.
Aaron Jones Sr. — Jones left this game with a shoulder injury, but looked like the much more effective Vikings back before his departure.
Sam LaPorta — A classic LaPorta spike game with early usage and impressive YAC ability on display.
Jameson Williams — The intention to get Williams more involved was clearly there, and he had a crucial long touchdown to bring the Lions within a field goal.

Three Down

Jahmyr Gibbs — Found nowhere to run all day and had modest passing game usage. Better days are ahead.
Jordan Mason — Was largely ineffective in the early goings of this game and only got more usage because of Jones’ injury.
John Morton — This did not look like an offense coming fresh out of a bye week. The Lions’ play-calling needs to be more creative moving forward to take advantage of their weapons.

Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback

J.J. McCarthy: 14/25, 143 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 9 Carries, 12 Yards, TD

J.J. McCarthy‘s homecoming to the east side of Michigan started off well, as he led the Vikings to a touchdown drive capped off by a beautiful pass to Justin Jefferson. On that same drive, he nearly hit Jordan Addison for a touchdown a couple of plays earlier, but it went in and out of Addison’s hands. For the most part, McCarthy looked improved from his first game action this season, going through his progressions well and finding the open man while minimizing his mistakes. He wasn’t perfect, as he took several sacks and had an interception, but the pick was on a strange play that could have gone either way in terms of the call on the field. McCarthy also used his legs to score a late rushing touchdown. He’s no Jaxson Dart with his scrambling ability, but he’s not the statue in the pocket that Carson Wentz is, either. McCarthy has a chance for another productive day in next week’s clash against the Ravens, but he’s still more of a startable Superflex player than a must-add in single-QB formats.

JJ McCarthy takes it himself for his 3rd TD today!

MINvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PRGEFOxAR4

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025

Running Back

Aaron Jones Sr.: 9 Carries, 78 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards

In his second game back from injury, Aaron Jones Sr. turned back the clock and looked much like the player we saw during his prime in Green Bay. Jones looked explosive and had great vision, finding the holes in the Lions’ defense with ease. He also showed off his pass-catching chops, making a couple of crucial catch-and-runs for the Vikings. Jones took the first snaps and looked like the much more efficient back until he was forced from the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. If he can return for Week 10, he will be the preferred option in this backfield.

Jordan Mason: 10 Carries, 36 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

While Jones was healthy, Jordan Mason was an afterthought in Minnesota’s offense. If Jones misses any time, Mason may have some flex appeal in next week’s matchup against the Ravens, but he hasn’t looked impressive since Week 3 against the pitiful Bengals defense.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Justin Jefferson: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 47 Yards, TD

The yardage total is modest, but Justin Jefferson was still doing Justin Jefferson things all afternoon. His touchdown catch was a thing of beauty, extending his right arm out to make a one-handed grab. He still led the team in targets and just missed bringing in a few more passes. He’s still an every-week WR1 with the potential for some huge games if McCarthy continues to develop.

J.J. McCarthy is back … and Justin Jefferson is back in the end zone.pic.twitter.com/G9rIxCzJCG

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 2, 2025

Jordan Addison: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 48 Yards | 1 Carry, 16 Yards

Jordan Addison has been a key asset for the Vikings this season, showcasing great chemistry with Carson Wentz while McCarthy was recovering from injury. Even with J.J. at the helm, Addison still appears to be an important part of the game plan, though he didn’t see as many opportunities this time around. Addison just missed scoring a touchdown on the Vikings’ first drive on a deep ball from McCarthy, but still had a couple of big gains in key spots. He should still fall into WR3 territory with upside, including in next week’s game against the Ravens.

T.J. Hockenson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards, TD

T.J. Hockenson caught his second touchdown of the season against his former team Sunday, but otherwise saw the same disappointing usage we’ve seen all season. Hock also had a bad drop deep in Vikings territory, which forced them to punt from the back of their own end zone. He isn’t a recommended option for your starting TE slot.

Jalen Nailor: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 16 Yards

Jalen Nailor only had one catch, but it was the dagger that sealed the game for Minnesota. He also had a pass thrown behind him intercepted by Terrion Arnold on a strange play. He isn’t a priority in this offense, and shouldn’t be a priority for your fantasy teams.

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Jared Goff: 25/37, 284 Yards, 2 TD

Jared Goff started the day off well with repeated strikes to Sam LaPorta, but was under duress by the Vikings’ defensive line for most of the game. The Lions’ offensive line was uncharacteristically porous, giving Goff very little time to throw. This stifled Detroit’s offense for much of the afternoon, as the Lions couldn’t get into their usual rhythm against Minnesota’s elite blitz packages. Goff nevertheless delivered a solid fantasy line, even if it resulted in a Lions loss. This is the reality with Goff: When he’s given time to work in the pocket, he looks like a top-tier QB in the league. When he’s under pressure, he and the rest of the Detroit offense struggle mightily. There was a good two-quarter span in the middle of the game when the Lions had trouble even getting past the line of scrimmage. We’ve seen this offense bounce back from poor performances this season on multiple occasions, and next week’s matchup in Washington should be a good get-right opportunity for the Lions.

Running Back

Jahmyr Gibbs: 9 Carries, 25 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 3 Yards

Just a rough game all around for Jahmyr Gibbs, who found virtually no room to run against Minnesota’s defensive line. The play-calling in this game was reminiscent of the disappointing Week 1 performance against the Packers, when the Lions thought it would be a good idea to send Gibbs up the middle instead of using his speed and agility to get him in space. This is the kind of performance you shake off and move on from — we know what Gibbs is capable of.

David Montgomery: 11 Carries, 40 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards | Fumble (LOST)

As per usual in 2025, Monty took the second reps for the Lions. He made a crucial slippery catch-and-run to keep the Lions alive and punched the ball in on fourth-and-1 to tie the game up at two scores apiece, but was also stymied by the Vikings’ defensive line, much like Gibbs. David Montgomery seemed to be the go-to option when the team needed a spark to get things going, but the run game was largely phased out with the Lions trailing much of the second half. His fumble was also a huge turning point in the game, as it gave the Vikings excellent field position, but it shouldn’t cause any loss of opportunities moving forward.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 13 Targets, 9 Receptions, 97 Yards

Another day, another near-100-yard game for Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Sun God is still clearly the team’s No. 1 option in the passing game, though he would probably argue he had one of his worst games of the season by failing to bring in a few targets that, while difficult, were catchable. St. Brown looked to get injured on a couple of occasions late in the game, but he never missed more than a play. He’s still an every-week top-tier player.

Jameson Williams: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 66 Yards, TD

A week after offensive coordinator John Morton said “I failed him” with respect to Jameson Williams, the team showed a clear intent to get their speedster more involved. Most of Jamo’s production came on a late-game deep ball that brought the Lions within three points, but he saw six targets for just the third time this year. Williams is still plenty talented, but it would be nice to see the team use more of his route tree than just go routes and screen passes at the line of scrimmage. If this increased usage sticks, Williams may become a more consistent option in the back half of the season, but for now, he’s still a risky boom-bust flex option.

Sam LaPorta: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 97 Yards, TD

The Lions utilized Sam LaPorta right away, going to the third-year tight end on their first two plays from scrimmage. LaPorta’s big moment came on fourth-and-4, when he got loose in the middle of the field and hauled in a pass, fought for extra yardage, and just got pushed into the end zone by his teammates to get the Lions on the board. As we know, LaPorta will have up and down weeks depending on how the Lions utilize him, but he has great after-the-catch skills to have TE1 overall weeks.