J.J. McCarthy Sparks Vikings' Comeback in NFL Debut vs. Bears

A rocky start, then a rally on Monday night

J.J. McCarthy waited nearly two years for this. The former Michigan star missed all of 2024 with a knee injury after going 10th overall in the draft. On Monday Night Football, his first real NFL action started with nerves and dead ends—and ended with a surge that flipped the game and the mood around the Minnesota Vikings.

It was ugly early. Minnesota went six three-and-outs in its first nine possessions, stuck in neutral against a Bears front that won at the line and clogged the quick game. The timing was off. The pocket felt tight. For a kid who last played a meaningful snap in the 2023 national title win over Washington, it looked like the speed of the league hit fast.

Kevin O’Connell never flinched. At halftime, with the Vikings behind and the offense stuck, the head coach told his rookie he would pull them back. That message landed. In the fourth quarter, McCarthy flipped the script—two touchdown passes and a tough rushing score to put Minnesota up for good in a 27–24 win.

O’Connell praised the poise he saw, saying the look in his quarterback’s eyes never changed, even when drives stalled. Teammates felt it too. The huddle settled down. The sideline woke up. The offense finally looked like what they’d drilled for months.

What changed? Minnesota leaned into what helps a young passer breathe.

• Quicker decisions: more defined reads, fewer long-developing concepts.
• Movement: rollouts and pocket resets to buy clean sight lines.
• Tempo: a faster rhythm that kept Chicago vanilla late.
• Run-pass balance: just enough ground game to make play-action matter.

That opened the door for the timing throws they repped all camp—the kind of red-zone concept McCarthy hinted they’d practiced over and over. He hit it when it counted. The final piece was his legs: the rushing touchdown was less about speed and more about feel—knowing when to tuck it and finish.

The offensive line deserves a nod. They took some lumps early, then settled. In the fourth quarter, conditioning mattered. Pass sets were cleaner, hands were tighter, and McCarthy trusted the pocket just long enough to let routes pop. That trust is everything for a first-game starter.

Across the field, the Bears had plenty to like from their own rookie. Caleb Williams notched his first NFL rushing touchdown and added a scoring throw, giving Chicago the lead for long stretches. In Ben Johnson’s debut as head coach, the Bears looked organized and competitive. They just couldn’t land the final stop after Minnesota seized momentum.

It’s also worth noting the tone of the game. This was not a numbers showcase. It was a test of composure in a tight NFC North fight where each possession late felt heavy. The Vikings needed their rookie to steady the ship, and he did it with a blend of patience and timely aggression.

• Six three-and-outs in Minnesota’s first nine drives.
• Three fourth-quarter touchdowns from McCarthy: two through the air, one on the ground.
• Chicago: Williams’ first career rushing TD and a passing score in a road-division spotlight.

What it means for Minnesota—and for Chicago

For the Vikings, this was validation of the long play. They invested a top-10 pick in a quarterback who couldn’t take a snap last season. They bet on leadership, processing, and big-game calm. Monday’s fourth quarter didn’t crown anything, but it did confirm why they waited. The locker room saw a rookie take a punch, stay cool, and finish.

The ripple effect is real. O’Connell can now build more of the playbook around what McCarthy does best: rhythm throws, defined answers vs. pressure, and selective shots off play-action. The staff can keep the training wheels where needed but won’t be scared to push the pace. Chemistry with the receivers will grow; you could see the trust on that camp-repeat touchdown concept when the game was tight.

The Bears walk away with a different kind of progress. Williams showed the traits that made him a top pick—improv ability, red-zone poise, and enough arm talent to stress windows. Johnson’s operation looked coherent in Game 1, and the defense set the tone for three quarters. The lesson is late-game finishing. Against an opponent that finally found rhythm, Chicago couldn’t close the door.

Big picture, this was a useful snapshot of two franchises retooling around young passers. Minnesota got a proof-of-concept for its rookie in a pressure window. Chicago got a baseline for where its rookie and new staff stand. The next step for both is consistency—stacking drives when the script sours, protecting the ball, and winning the middle eight where tight games often swing.

The box score won’t tell the whole story of McCarthy’s debut. The story is how he handled the noise: a shaky start, a clear head, then decisive throws when everything mattered. For a franchise and a fan base waiting to see if their bet would hold, Monday offered a first answer—and a real one.