Cousins left Minnesota for the Falcons in free agency because the Vikings were set on drafting a quarterback in 2024 and he wanted more long-term stability as the starter. Fast forward a couple of months, and Cousins found himself in the exact same situation in Atlanta—only it was behind Michael Penix Jr., not McCarthy.

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

The Vikings did not dramatically overhaul their defense after a poor performance in their previous game; instead, they played the way they are capable of playing when they give it their all.

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.

Former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw two touchdown passes in his third career start and the Lions struggled to sustain offensive possessions for the third straight game as the Vikings upset the Lions, 27-24, at Ford Field.

“I’m happy that we got the win, but I’m not proud, to be honest with you,” McCarthy said, via the team’s website. “There’s a lot of meat on the bone, and I feel like I could have played a lot better. But coming into this environment and controlling my emotions, controlling kind of my temperament going into it — I was proud of that.”

Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers thinks the officials missed a penalty by Lions receiver Jameson Williams late in Minnesota's 27-24 win in Detroit on Sunday.

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to make a quarterback change after Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending shoulder injury,