JJ McCarthy completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings cruised to a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Josh Oliver had two touchdown receptions and T.J. Hockenson caught the other for Minnesota (5-8), which snapped a four-game losing streak. Jordan Mason added a rushing touchdown.
Jayden Daniels completed 9 of 20 passes for 78 yards and one interception before he left with an injury for Washington (3-10). Marcus Mariota replaced Daniels and completed 2 of 4 passes for 30 yards and an interception as the Commanders lost their eighth straight contest.
The Vikings, who lost 26-0 to the Seattle Seahawks last week, became the first team since the 1992 Denver Broncos to follow up a shutout defeat with a shutout victory.
Daniels’ injury marked another low point in a season filled with them for the Commanders. In the third quarter he threw an interception to Vikings pass rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and chased after him, but Vikings defensive back Isaiah Rodgers blocked Daniels with a hard shove.
The shove sent Daniels to the turf, where he landed on his left elbow that he had dislocated earlier in the season. He missed the last three games because of the injury and returned Sunday after being cleared for contact only two days earlier.
Minnesota set the tone with a touchdown on its first drive of the game. McCarthy connected with Oliver for an 18-yard score to grab a 7-0 lead.
The Vikings made it 14-0 midway through the second quarter. Mason darted left for an 8-yard rushing touchdown that capped off a 19-play, 98-yard drive that took 12:01.
A 45-yard field goal by Will Reichard made it 17-0 midway through the third quarter.
Oliver hauled in his second touchdown reception of the day in the third quarter. His 6-yard score made it 24-0.
McCarthy continued his bounce-back performance as he looked right and hit Hockenson for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 31-0 with 11:26 remaining.
Daniels was not the only Commanders player who went down with an injury.
Tight end Zach Ertz leaped to try to make a catch in the second half and was drilled in his right leg by Vikings defender Jay Ward. The 35-year-old Ertz was helped to a cart on the sideline, where he was emotional as teammates came to offer encouragement.
