Inside The Vikings

After brutal start, magical J.J. McCarthy 4th quarter leads Vikings to win

Things went as poorly as possible for three quarters, but the game didn't end there. What a debut for the Vikings' quarterback.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field.
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

That's why football games are four quarters long, folks.

J.J. McCarthy's NFL debut went about as poorly as possible for the first three quarters. But he didn't lose confidence. He trusted his preparation and kept playing. And in the fourth quarter, he came to life and led a truly remarkable turnaround. McCarthy threw for two touchdowns in the final quarter and ran for a third as the Vikings turned a 17-6 deficit into a 27-24 victory on Monday Night Football to begin a new season and a new era.

After the Vikings ripped off 21 unanswered points, the Bears scored a quick touchdown to cut the deficit to 3 and make things interesting. But they got the ball back with just nine seconds on the clock and couldn't pull off a miracle.

The end result is that the Vikings are 1-0. It wasn't exactly how they drew it up, but a win is always a win in the NFL, especially on the road against a division rival. They'll celebrate this one hard, considering how much they had to overcome — and how much resilience they had to display — in order to make it happen.

McCarthy finished the game 13 of 20 for 143 yards, three total touchdowns, and a pick-six. Basically all of his production came in the final quarter. But all that matters is he delivered when the Vikings needed it.

Jordan Mason was big, with 68 rushing yards on 15 carries. The defense stiffened in between allowing a touchdown early and a touchdown late. Rookie Myles Price provided a spark in the punt return game. And the Vikings picked up a huge road win over a division rival to begin the season.

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McCarthy's incredible turnaround

It's the ultimate testament to McCarthy's composure that he didn't get rattled by how poorly his night was going. Not when he threw for just 48 yards in the first half, 28 of which came on a throw in the final 30 seconds. Not when he was welcomed to the NFL by Nahshon Wright, who undercut his throw to Justin Jefferson for a 74-yard pick-six in the third quarter. Not when the Vikings punted two more times after that play, giving them seven three-and-outs in their first nine possessions.

The window was opened when, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Cairo Santos missed a field goal that would've put the Bears up 20-6. With solid field position, the Vikings' offense finally got going. They drove down and scored on a touchdown pass from McCarthy to Jefferson. Then they got the ball back, McCarthy floated one to a wide-open Aaron Jones for a second TD pass to give the Vikings a stunning lead. And the exclamation point came when, after another stop, McCarthy ran for a TD to put his team up 10 and stun the home crowd.

Let's back up for a second.

The night got off to an ominous start for McCarthy and the Vikings. They went three and out on the game's opening possession, with McCarthy taking a sack on third and short when he tried and failed to scramble for a first down. Caleb Williams then marched the Bears down the field on their first drive, converting a third down with a spectacular throw on the run — and another third down with a nine-yard rushing touchdown. The Vikings went three and out in very similar fashion, with McCarthy trying to scramble on third down but taking a sack instead.

Ten minutes into the game, the Bears were getting the ball back with a 7-0 lead. That's when things evened out a bit. The Vikings got a defensive stop, and thanks to a 42-yard pass interference penalty on a deep ball intended for Jones, they moved into position for a field goal to get on the board. The Bears had a chance to answer back but Williams missed badly on fourth down near the red zone. The Vikings' offense couldn't get anything else going in the half, but the defense held up well enough to keep the game close at the break. It was 10-6 Bears at halftime after a late field goal by each team.

The third quarter is when the situation reached disaster level for McCarthy and the Vikings. He threw the pick-six and had two more drives that went nowhere. Only down 11, it felt like the Vikings had very little hope of mounting enough offense to come back.

And then a switch flipped — and the McCarthy the Vikings have been raving about all offseason showed up and led his team to a thrilling victory.

McCarthy touchdown highlights

McCarthy hit Justin Jefferson for a 13-yard touchdown with 12:13 left to cut the deficit to 17-12.

On the next drive, McCarthy lobbed a gorgeous ball to Aaron Jones for a 27-yard touchdown. Then he connected with Adam Thielen on the two-point attempt, and suddenly Minnesota led 20-17.

On the next possession, McCarthy finished off a nine-play, 68-yard drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. In the blink of an eye, the Vikings went from down 17-6 to up 27-17.

Next up: Another primetime contest on Sunday night, in the home opener, against the Falcons.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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