Takeaways from the Vikings’ 31-0 win over the Commanders

It started to feel like the Vikings might not win another competition this season That s how overmatched they looked in consecutive blowout losses to the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks That makes the response on Sunday afternoon at U S Bank Stadium that much more impressive as the Vikings rolled to a - win over the Washington Commanders The biggest storyline was young quarterback J J McCarthy showing improvement amid a simplified match plan That stated the Vikings had a bunch of key contributors that played a role in the win over the Commanders Here are several takeaways from the championship J J McCarthy built specific confidence The main talking point for the Vikings heading into the matchup was how head coach Kevin O Connell was going to pare down the playbook to help McCarthy function in the confines of the offense The development was McCarthy playing his best match in latest memory completing of passes for yards for a trio of touchdowns He got into a rhythm from the onset with several easy completions on the opening drive That helped him play with conviction throughout the challenge en track to leading the Vikings to a convincing win over the Commanders If anything is clear about McCarthy by now it s that confidence is extremely crucial to his success He s put both sides of the spectrum on display amid the roster coaster that has been this season The good news for the Vikings It appears that McCarthy has built various confidence heading into the home stretch Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason balled out It helped that McCarthy got to hand the ball off to running back Aaron Jones and fellow running back Jordan Mason The dynamic duo in the backfield shouldered the load for the Vikings against the Commanders The production spoke for itself as Jones finished with carries for yards and Mason finished with carries for yards and a touchdown That took selected pressure off of McCarthy while also opening up the playbook for O Connell It would behoove the Vikings to continue to lean on Jones and Mason That s going to be a recipe for success even if the Vikings are bound to face opposing units more stout than the Commanders Justin Jefferson had another quiet tournament After struggling through the worst match of his career last weekend star receiver Justin Jefferson wasn t much better this weekend He was basically nonexistent for the Vikings finishing with a pair of receptions for a yards while consistently navigating double coverage from the Commanders The stat line for Jefferson could ve looked much better had he been able to haul in a jump ball in the end zone It went down as a harmless incompletion instead of a -yard touchdown that would ve served as an exclamation point To his credit Jefferson was all smiles after the event noting that he cares more about the win than putting up big numbers Nonetheless the Vikings need to find a way to get Jefferson going moving forward Andrew Van Ginkel struck again It s become commonplace for edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel to intercept screen passes He has an innate feel at the line of scrimmage that allows him to snuff out those types of plays as they re happening in real time That s exactly what Van Ginkel did for the Vikings against the Commanders He read the eyes of quarterback Jayden Daniels shortly halftime tipped the ball into the air and hauled it in for an interception That helped the Vikings keep the Commanders off the scoreboard before they added to their lead on the other end Harrison Smith turned back the clock It s fitting that veteran safety Harrison Smith hauled in an interception in the same challenge that former linebacker Anthony Barr led the Skol Chant before kickoff They were teammates for the better part of a decade and perpetually brought out the best in each other Questioned about having his good friend in attendance Smith joked that Barr s presence motivated him turn back the clock It was an impressive effort from Smith as he hauled in an interception for the Vikings while constantly toying with the Commanders before the snap It s still unclear what Smith plans to do after this season If he ends up deciding to hang up the cleats for good this is a performance that won t soon be forgotten Related Articles Frederick At last a J J McCarthy-friendly approach in Minnesota He s a unicorn Andrew Van Ginkel did it again for the Vikings J J McCarthy gets particular swagger back as Vikings dominate Commanders Vikings vs Commanders What to know ahead of Week matchup The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week Last-minute moves