9 September 2025
The rookie threw a pick-six on the road, under the lights, in his first NFL start. Then he scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns and stole the game. Minnesota’s 27-24 win in Chicago wasn’t just a Week 1 escape; it was the moment the Vikings handed their future a prime-time stage and watched him grow up in real time. This was the J.J. McCarthy debut that Minnesota hoped for—messy early, fearless late, and decisive when it mattered.
Kevin O’Connell didn’t paint it as flawless. After the game, the Vikings head coach talked about a young quarterback who got rattled early, settled down, and then took over the huddle. He pointed to composure, communication, and situational football as the difference. The fourth quarter—21 points after trailing 17-6—put all of that on tape. The message from the sideline, and then from the quarterback: keep swinging.
A tale of two halves
McCarthy’s first half looked like a rookie catalog of growing pains. He saw late, he held the ball a beat too long, and Chicago’s disguises pulled him into tight windows. The Bears built a 10-6 halftime lead behind a sharp start from Caleb Williams, who completed his first 10 throws and opened the night with a nine-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0. When cornerback Nahshon Wright jumped a route and went 74 yards the other way early in the second half, the Bears were up 17-6, the building was loud, and the moment could’ve swallowed a 21-year-old quarterback.
It didn’t. The next drives showed what the Vikings drafted in the top 10. O’Connell shifted to quick-game calls, moved the pocket, and mixed in backs and tight ends to give McCarthy clear answers. The rhythm showed up on simple throws—outs, slants, flats—before Minnesota took a few calculated shots. Justin Jefferson got featured in motion and in space, and the matchups started to tilt.
The spark became a blaze in the fourth quarter. McCarthy first hit Jefferson for a touchdown, a strike that snapped the spell of hesitation. The next scoring play went to veteran back Aaron Jones, who found a crease after the catch as Chicago’s pursuit angles broke down. The go-ahead came on a 14-yard keeper, McCarthy tucking the ball and beating pursuit to the pylon with less than three minutes left. That sequence—two clean reads and a gutsy run—will live on the rookie’s highlight reel for a long time.
Minnesota’s defense did its part. After Williams’ blistering opening, the Vikings tightened on the back end, squeezed the middle of the field, and forced Chicago into longer third downs. The pass rush didn’t need sacks to change the picture—timely pressure and disciplined rush lanes were enough to rush a few throws and stall drives. When the Bears finally punched back late to cut the deficit to three, the Vikings’ offense closed the door with smart, clock-eating football.
Want the turning points boiled down?
- Jefferson’s touchdown: settled McCarthy and flipped momentum on a night he had to trust his star.
- A defensive stand: a quick stop after a Vikings score kept the field tilted and the Bears off balance.
- The 14-yard quarterback run: the play that told everyone the kid’s legs are part of the offense, not a panic plan.
For McCarthy, the stage matters. This opener wasn’t just any game—it was Monday Night Football in Chicago, against Caleb Williams, the 2024 No. 1 pick, in Ben Johnson’s home debut as head coach. The backdrop raised the temperature. Williams looked polished early, moving in rhythm and using his legs at the goal line. But Minnesota’s adjustments cut off easy yards in the second half, and the Bears’ offense bogged down just enough to invite a comeback.
What the comeback says about Minnesota—and Chicago
You can see why the Vikings stayed patient. McCarthy missed all of 2024 with a preseason meniscus injury while Sam Darnold steered the team to a 14-3 record. Plenty of teams would’ve stuck with the veteran after a season like that. Minnesota doubled down on its plan: develop the quarterback they drafted to be the long-term answer. Monday night backed that bet. The tape won’t be perfect—there are early checkdowns he skipped, a few open throws left on the field, and of course the pick-six—but the response is what coaches care about most.
O’Connell built his reputation on structure with flexibility—give your quarterback answers, then add layers. In the fourth quarter, you saw that approach land. The Vikings leaned into tempo, sprinkled motion to declare coverages, and used Jones as a pressure valve when Chicago sent heat. The line cleaned up some protection leaks, and McCarthy rewarded them with on-time throws. The ball came out faster, the reads got clearer, and the offense felt synced instead of scattered.
There’s also a stylistic note for the rest of the league: McCarthy’s mobility changes Minnesota’s geometry. Defenses have to honor boot, keeper, and sprint-out actions at the edges, not just play-action from the pocket. That widens windows for Jefferson and creates after-catch chances for backs and tight ends. If the Vikings keep the quarterback run game measured—more as a lever than a lifestyle—it’s a real add-on without exposing him to constant hits.
On the other sideline, there was plenty to like in spurts for Chicago. Williams’ first 10 completions were smooth and decisive, and Johnson’s openers got him comfortable with quick reads and movement throws. The problem was sustaining it after halftime. Minnesota squeezed easy outlets, tackled better on the perimeter, and forced the Bears to stack long drives instead of living on explosives. That’s a tough ask for any rookie quarterback in his debut when the opponent starts winning first down.
Chicago’s defense, aggressive all night, lost a few key snaps late—one coverage bust, one missed tackle, one edge lost on the quarterback run. That’s how fourth quarters slip. Wright’s 74-yard pick-six gave the Bears the cushion great teams convert, but the unit couldn’t close the last 15 minutes. For Johnson, that becomes the early-season coaching project: carry the script beyond the script, keep the pressure packages tight in crunch time, and give Williams extra shots at short fields.
For Minnesota, this win lives somewhere between relief and validation. They saw their young quarterback absorb a blow and fire back. They saw the defense go from reactive to proactive as the game wore on. And they got their stars in rhythm—Jefferson as the tone-setter, Jones as the problem-solver—when the scoreboard demanded it.
The next steps are predictable, and that’s fine. Clean up the early game operation so the first 30 minutes don’t feel like a stress test. Keep the quick-game toolbox handy, especially on the road. Let the run game and play-action set up shot plays instead of chasing explosives on schedule. And most of all, protect the football—because comebacks are thrilling, but living on them isn’t a plan.
One game doesn’t define a season, and one quarter doesn’t define a quarterback. But in a league that judges you on high-leverage moments, McCarthy’s first one was a win. He turned an 11-point deficit into a 27-24 finish, on a night when the crowd, the lights, and the stage all tilted the other way. That’s not a bad way to start a career.
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