McCarthy, Vikings rebound with 31-0 win over reeling Commanders, who lose Daniels to injury again

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings had no bigger problem in this messy season than turnovers, with a league-worst minus-15 margin entering this week.

In a much-needed momentum-builder for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, they finally kept a firm grip on the ball — up and down the field.

McCarthy threw a career-high three touchdown passes in his first turnover-free game, returning from his latest injury absence in prime form for the Vikings in a 31-0 victory on Sunday that sent the Washington Commanders to their eighth straight loss.

“It’s just something I feel like should’ve happened a lot earlier,” McCarthy said. “I absolutely love those guys for the grace and patience they’ve had with me, but we’ve got to continue to do it again.”

McCarthy went 16 for 23 for 163 yards in his seventh NFL start, after sitting out last week in Seattle with a concussion while the Vikings were shut out for the first time in 18 years and dropped their fourth consecutive game with the offense in disrepair. One week later, they got to deliver the shutout — in just their second turnover-free game of the season.

They also stopped a three-game losing streak at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Vikings heard plenty of boos the previous time they played at home.

“It felt good to play to the standard our fans expect,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.

McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie year after knee surgery and five games earlier this season with a sprained ankle, targeted his tight ends for all three scores — the first two to Josh Oliver and the last one to T.J. Hockenson.

As smooth as the afternoon went for the Vikings (5-8), the return of the starting quarterback for the Commanders (3-10) produced nothing positive — only pain.

Jayden Daniels, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner, was forced out midway through the third quarter when he was blocked during an interception return and landed hard on the left elbow he dislocated last month to require a three-game absence. Daniels missed three games to injury earlier this season, too. Marcus Mariota, who is 1-5 as the starter, threw an interception and lost a fumble in relief.

“When you get beat 31-0, it’s not about offense or defense. That’s just bad,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “We just didn’t play any kind of complementary football, and this is the result.”

McCarthy, who took four sacks and faced plenty of pressure, looked like a seasoned pro from the start as the Vikings elected to take the ball first and opened with a seven-play, 61-yard drive for their first touchdown in nine quarters.

The defense stopped the Commanders on fourth-and-goal from the 2 when Deebo Samuel stumbled in the back of the end zone and failed to hang on to the throw from Daniels — a third straight incompletion despite owning one of the league's best rushing attacks and averaging 4.7 yards per attempt on the ground on Sunday.

Then McCarthy directed a 19-play, 98-yard drive that drained 12:01 off the clock, as the Vikings converted all five third downs — including three with 6-plus yards to go. Jordan Mason capped the possession with a touchdown run, as the Vikings leaned on him and Aaron Jones for a combined 128 yards on 25 carries.

Justin Jefferson, who has totaled just four receptions for 15 yards over his past two games, frequently pumped his fist in support of McCarthy after completions that moved the chains. The two-time All-Pro was so relieved to experience a well-rounded victory such as this with his teammates that he didn't mind McCarthy missing him wide open on a post route from their 34-yard line late in the third quarter, when McCarthy scrambled for a first down instead.

“It’s definitely one of those plays I wish would’ve come to me, but it happens sometimes and that’s part of the game," Jefferson said. "As long as we win, that’s what I really care about.”

The time of possession during Minnesota's second touchdown drive was the longest in the NFL since 2021, when San Francisco had the ball for 13:05 on a Week 11 possession at Jacksonville.

This was the longest drive duration for the Vikings since at least 2000, as far as Sportradar data goes back on this category. Their most recent possession that hit 19 plays was in Week 3 in 2008 against Carolina. That ended with a field goal.

After Daniels left, 13-year veteran TE Zach Ertz hurt his right knee on a hard and low hit during an incompletion from Mariota. The Commanders feared he tore his ACL.

The Commanders play at the New York Giants next Sunday afternoon.

The Vikings visit the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to pass while being chased by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after throwing a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) reacts after running back Jordan Mason, foreground left, scored a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Voting was underway on Sunday in Myanmar in the final round of a three-stage general election, capping a nearly monthlong process that has already ensured the country’s military rulers and their allies will command a parliamentary majority to form a new government.

Critics say the polls are neither free nor fair, and are designed to legitimize the power of the military after it ousted the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, or USDP, has already won most of the seats contested in the first two rounds of voting. Twenty-five percent of the seats in the upper and lower houses of the national Parliament are reserved for the military, guaranteeing it and its allies control of the legislature.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the current military government, is widely expected by both supporters and opponents to assume the presidency when the new Parliament meets.

The army's 2021 takeover triggered widespread opposition that dragged Myanmar into a civil war. Security concerns engendered by the fighting meant voting was not held in more than one-fifth of the country’s 330 townships, another reason the process has been described as neither free nor fair.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Tuesday said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, did not send observers and would not certify the election, citing concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation.

Min Aung Hlaing pushed back against critics of the polls on Sunday, declaring that “the people who live in Myanmar are the ones who vote. Not those from outside."

“We are not concerned whether this is recognized by foreign countries or not. We recognize the people’s vote. It should be like that,” he told journalists after inspecting a polling station in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.

Asked if he intended to take part in the new government, he declined to comment, noting the president would be selected when Parliament meets.

Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s 80-year-old former leader, and her party are not participating in the polls. She is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as spurious and politically motivated. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won landslide victories in the 2020 and 2015 elections, but was forced to dissolve in 2023 after refusing to register under new military rules.

Other parties also refused to register or declined to run under conditions they deem unfair, while opposition groups called for a voter boycott.

A new Election Protection Law imposed harsh penalties for most public criticism of the polls, with the authorities charging more than 400 people recently for activities such as leafleting or online activity.

The previous two rounds of voting were disrupted by armed groups opposed to military rule carrying out attacks on polling stations and government buildings in several townships, killing at least two administrative officials, according to the military government.

Voting on Sunday began at 6 a.m. in 61 townships across six regions and three states, including many areas that have seen clashes in recent months.

At the polling station in Dagon township in Yangon, the country’s largest city, 86-year-old Soe Tint said he cast his ballot because he wants the country to be peaceful and develop “in all sectors, including education.”

At the same station, Lae Lae Yi, 62, was less hopeful.

“I’m not expecting anything at all, because there is no motivation,” she said.

The election is being held in three phases due to the armed conflict. The first two rounds took place on Dec. 28 and Jan. 11 in 202 of the country’s 330 townships. A total of 67 townships – mostly areas controlled by armed opposing groups – did not participate, reducing the original seats in the 664-member national parliament to 586.

Final results for all parliament seats are expected to be announced later this week. The military government has announced that Parliament will be convened in March, and the new government will take up its duties in April.

The party with a majority in the combined upper and lower houses of Parliament can select the new president, who in turn names a Cabinet and forms a new government.

More than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, though only six are contesting nationwide. Seventeen other parties aside from the USDP have won a small number of seats in the legislature, ranging from one to 10.

The military government said there are more than 24 million eligible voters, about 35% fewer than in 2020. The turnout in the first two rounds of voting was between 50% and 60%, it announced.

Peck reported from Bangkok.

Ko Ko Gyi, chairman of the People's Party and leader of Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy uprising, talks to journalists after casting his ballot at a polling station during the final round of general election Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Voters line up to cast ballots at a polling station during the final round of general election Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

A official of the Union Election Commission prepares a voting booth at a polling station, one day ahead of the third phase of the general election, in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station during the third phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

An official of the Union Election Commission sets up an electronic voting machine at a polling station, one day ahead of the third phase of the general election, in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

An official of the Union Election Commission announces the open of a polling station during the third phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

A voter holds up her finger marked with ink indicating she voted at a polling station during the third phase of general election in Mandalay, central Myanmar, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)