To begin his first career start, it looked like quarterback JJ McCarthy was going through some understandable jitters. He seemed almost rattled, as he made some questionable decisions and uncharacteristically poor throws, and the Minnesota Vikings ended up trailing the Chicago Bears by 11 at the end of three quarters. But McCarthy seemed to figure it out in the fourth, leading the Vikings to three scoring drives in the span of 10 minutes en route to a 27-24 comeback victory.
McCarthy missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a knee injury, but the Vikings had full trust in him heading into the season, and for good reason. In fact, even as McCarthy was looking shaky through the first three quarters, especially when he threw a pick-six that extended the Bears' lead to 11 in the third, head coach Kevin O'Connell had full trust in him — eliciting a powerful response from McCarthy on his way to his first career win.
“You are going to bring us back to win this game,” O'Connell recalled saying to McCarthy at halftime, per Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune. “The look in his eye was just fantastic.”
McCarthy weathered a shaky start to end with 13 completed passes out of 20 attempts for a total of 143 yards to go with his two touchdown passes (against one INT). Those two touchdown passes he threw were caught by All-Pro Justin Jefferson and former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones, respectively, with the Vikings QB finally figuring out how to maximize the talent he had at his disposal.
Moreover, McCarthy brought out his do-it-yourself kit and hit paydirt himself with a 14-yard touchdown run — showing his utility as a dual threat.
It may not have come together instantly for the Vikings QB, but what's important is that it did — perhaps due to O'Connell's unwavering belief in McCarthy's abilities.
Vikings start off the 2025 season on the right foot
It's always a risk to start an inexperienced quarterback, even for a team as talented as the Vikings. This Minnesota team went 14-3 last year, with Sam Darnold having the keys to the team's offense. Thus, there is considerable pressure for McCarthy to deliver, but he did just that in a huge win for the Vikings on Monday to start the campaign on the right foot.
McCarthy, however, will want to have a more smooth-sailing game in his second career start, which should come next week against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at home.
