J.J. McCarthy returned to the Vikings and brought hope with him.The second-year quarterback was also praised by Tom Brady during Minnesota’s 27-24 road win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.J.J. McCarthy got emotional after returning as the Vikings’ QBgetty“There’s so many positives from what I’ve seen,” said Brady, who called the Vikings’ win on FOX.How did McCarthy impress Brady? During Brady’s playing days as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, he regularly pumped up himself and his teammates by shouting, ‘Let’s f****** go!’McCarthy, who was returning to action after missing five games, shouted the famous phrase after being praised by the NFL legend.“Let’s f****** go!” McCarthy said on TV. A hoarse Brady awarded McCarthy the LFG award, then dug into McCarthy’s Week 9 inspiration.“What is it about the state of Michigan that allowed you guys to come in and perform the way you did?” Brady said.“It’s a great state,” said McCarthy, who was a Wolverine in college, like Brady.“There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears shed in this state.”Vikings QB emotional after locker room scene McCarthy only completed 14 passes and threw for just 143 yards.But the former NCAA national champion at Michigan threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, while Minnesota overcame an early 7-0 deficit.Tom Brady was impressed by McCarthy running the Vikings’ offensegetty“It was awesome,” an emotional McCarthy said. “When you’re hurt, being on IR (injured reserve) last year, and being out for five weeks, it absolutely kills me not being out there with those guys because I love every single one of them.“I know they got my back — and I’ve got theirs — the rest of the way.”McCarthy was the No. 10 overall pick in a 2024 NFL Draft loaded with quarterbacks.Loaded QB class adds pressure to Michigan star Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michel Penix Jr. and Bo Nix all were selected in the same first round.Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year last season with the Washington Commanders but has struggled with injuries in 2025.View Tweet: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwNFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?Maye (New England Patriots) and Nix (Denver Broncos) are MVP contenders, and the second-year QBs have produced a combined 14-4 record in 2025. McCarthy kept the Vikings’ playoff hopes alive on Sunday, taking the ball from an injured Carson Wentz to help Minnesota improve to a 4-4 record. “He’s doing a lot that we can actually see on when the ball’s snapped,” Brady said. “He’s doing a lot before the snap. And I think that tells me that Kevin O’Connell is putting a lot of trust in him to get you in and out of the right plays.”Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago all top Minnesota in the NFC North midway through the season.The Vikings don’t have a QB in talkSPORT’s weekly rankings of the best arms in the NFL. McCarthy will have to keep impressing Minnesota fans, and Brady, if the Vikings are going to return to the postseason. Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.