J.J. McCarthy Rallies Minnesota Vikings to Comeback Win in NFL Debut

Appropriate given the delayed start to his NFL career, J.J. McCarthy needed a minute to get rolling Monday night at Soldier Field.

McCarthy was just 5-of-8 passing for 48 yards and a passer rating of 79.2 in the first half and Minnesota seemed fortunate to trail the Chicago Bears by a 10-6 count. Caleb Williams, the quarterback drafted nine spots before the Vikings picked McCarthy in last year's draft, had done almost everything right. He scrambled for a 9-yard touchdown and completed 13 of 16 passes for 112 yards, good for a passer rating of 95.8.

The home crowd was thrown into a frenzy when the Bears tacked on seven more for a 17-6 lead.

McCarthy forced a throw in the direction of All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson that was picked by former Vikings cornerback Nahshon Wright and returned for a 74-yard touchdown.

"I told him at halftime, 'You are going to bring us back to win this game,' and the look in his eye was fantastic," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday night. "The best thing is just the belief I felt from the team and unit. Ultimately, that doesn't get done without him in the second half -- two passing touchdowns and the critical rushing touchdown at the end."

McCarthy's inspired effort to lead the Vikings to 21 unanswered points and overcome a double-digit deficit in his debut speaks to his grounded, Zen-like nature — and the steely resolve required of a player in his position. Many of his 13 completions felt massively significant in the context of the rally. There was no panic in McCarthy's play in a moment lined with pressure built since the 2024 preseason when his knee proved unready for the NFL mission.

On Monday night, 15 miles from his boyhood home and in the stadium where he took in his first NFL game, a Vikings' win over the Bears, McCarthy was everything the Vikings thought he could be when the franchise used a top-10 pick to select him.

"It's been a long journey," McCarthy said.

"I think it's been 609 days, I think I saw since my last competitive football game, which was the national championship. So, it's been a while of being just in the training room, watching a lot of film, learning the playbook and trying to master that. At the end of the day, it's such a blessing to be an NFL football player and play in this league."

With 12:13 to go in the game, the Vikings trailed 17-12 after a McCarthy-to-Justin Jefferson connection and failed two-point try. But it was evident McCarthy had shaken any peripheral trauma from the pick-6 and was comfortable in the driver's seat.

Grounded, you might say.

"At the end of the day, we are so blessed to be able to play this game, so every snap we get is a complete blessing," McCarthy said. "That was something I mentioned to the guys in the huddle when we were down, 'Where else would you rather be?' So, I feel like we did a great job and this team showed a lot of poise and responded very well."