ARLINGTON, Texas — There wasn’t anything for the Vikings to play for against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night at ATT Stadium. Any hopes of making the playoffs went out the window a few hours before kickoff when the Chicago Bears beat the Cleveland Browns. That didn’t stop quarterback J.J. Mc Carthy from putting together the best game of his career while leading the Vikings to a 34-26 upset win. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air while adding another touchdown on the ground. It was exactly the type of performance the Vikings needed to see from their young signal caller. It’s been a welcomed sight for head coach Kevin O’Connell to see McCarthy slowly but surely come into his own. “It’s not a surprise to me because of who he is,” O’Connell said. “He’s always shown up ready to go back to work.” It had gone so far off the rails for McCarthy at different points this season that it was fair to wonder if he was going to be able to get the train back on the tracks. The fact that he showed improvement last week in a win over the Washington Commanders was notable. The fact that he followed it up with an even better showing this week in a win over the Cowboys was proof of progress. Maybe the most impressive part of McCarthy’s outing was how he responded after throwing an interception on his first pass of the game. He noted that being able to avoid the snowball effect was rooted in being hardened by some of his mistakes from this season. “This is the NFL and they’re going to make plays,” McCarthy said. “You can’t let that affect the next play.” The ability to bounce back in the immediate aftermath of is a microcosm of the mental toughness McCarthy has displayed amid his recent turnaround. It’s also a reason to believe he could be the face of the franchise the Vikings so desperately want him to be. “His confidence is growing,” veteran center Ryan Kelly said. “He’s really taken that step forward. The kid has shouldered a lot of weight starting What he’s been able to do the past couple of weeks has been really impressive.” After receiving the opening kickoff, the Vikings ran the ball once, then opted to have McCarthy let it rip. With star receiver Justin Jefferson open near the sticks for what would’ve been a first down, McCarthy’s pass got tipped near the line of scrimmage, then intercepted by defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. It looked like the Cowboys had stalled out on the ensuing possession until they dialed up a fake field goal, with holder Bryan Anger blindly flipping a ball over his shoulder to kicker Brandon Aubrey, who picked up the first down with his legs. That earned the Cowboys a new set of downs and paved the way for running back Javonte Williams to plunge into the end zone to make it 7-0. You couldn’t have scripted a worse start for the Vikings. The tide turned in in their favor, however, when punter Ryan Wright stepped up on special teams and flipped the field, paving the way for the defense to force a punt, and the offense finally got going with a couple of chunk plays. The end result was McCarthy rolling to his left and delivering a strike to Jalen Nailor in the corner of the end zone to help the Vikings pull even at 7-7. “I saw him get the edge,” McCarthy said. “I just had to put it to the spot and let his greatness show up.” On the heels of the Cowboys getting a touchdown from running back Malik Davis to make it 14-7, the Vikings then showed the type of response that they have lacked for much of this season. It started with McCarthy finding Jordan Addison over the top for a 58-yard gain. It continued when McCarthy fooled everybody, kept the ball on a naked bootleg and showboated into the end zone to tie the game at 14-14. “I knew the play and I knew what was happening,” O’Connell said. “The action was so good up front that I had to do a double take right there.” After both teams traded field goal, the Vikings and the Cowboys went into halftime tied 17-17. Though the Vikings struggled to move the ball coming out of the locker room, the Cowboys couldn’t find the end zone themselves, settling for a couple of field goals to make it 23-17. That left the door open for McCarthy, and he finally led a sustained march to put the Vikings in front. He rode the roller coaster along the way with a mixture of perfectly placed passes and bafflingly errant misses. There was a particular stretch in which McCarthy missed Jefferson running wide open over the middle, then followed it up by dropping a dime to Nailor. It culminated with fullback C.J. Ham finding pay dirt to put the Vikings in front 24-23. “Even sometimes when it’s not going well there’s still growth happening,” O’Connell said. “We’ve got to try to find a way to stack positive plays, throw completions, and see if we can get some more opps to possibly develop some of those explosives that help our offense go.” After a missed field goal by the Cowboys on the other end, the Vikings made a statement, taking complete control when McCarthy found Nailor for another touchdown to stretch the lead to 31-23. In the final minutes of the game, Will Reichard nailed a clutch field goal to put the Vikings in front 34-23, then the Cowboys kicked a  desperation field goal that ultimately finalized the score at 34-26. “We’re learning about each other,” O’Connell said. “We’re learning most importantly that we can sustain through some adversity and still persevere to go win games. It’s going to come in handy continuing to build that within our organization. These are very very important moments for us.” After the Vikings recovered the onside kick, McCarthy trotted back onto the field, and rightfully got to take a knee and run out the clock. “I love what I do,” McCarthy said. “I realize how blessed I am to be in this position and most importantly I love the people I do it with in here.” Was there ever a moment over the past few months where he didn’t feel that? “I wouldn’t say that,” McCarthy said. “I love the journey. I love the ups and downs. I love the pain. I love the heartache. That’s a part of growing and a part of life and I think football is a great microcosm for those lessons.” Related Articles Frederick: Congratulations to whichever NFL team hires Brian Flores to be its next head coach Frederick: With the Vikings eliminated from the playoffs, should they tank? 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