Inside The Vikings

Watch: J.J. McCarthy's first career TD pass goes to Justin Jefferson

It took until the fourth quarter, but McCarthy finally got something going on offense on Monday.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) practices before the game at Soldier Field.
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) practices before the game at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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After a brutal start to his NFL debut, which included a pick-six in the third quarter, J.J. McCarthy finally got something going early in the fourth quarter. He hit Justin Jefferson on a 17-yard out route to the left side to get into the red zone, then delivered a 13-yard strike to Jefferson for his first career touchdown pass.

The Vikings hope it's the first of hundreds of touchdown passes for McCarthy, who they took with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft. More than 16 months after he was selected, McCarthy — who missed his rookie year due to a meniscus injury — finally got his first opportunity to play in a real game on Monday night.

And even if the first three quarters at Soldier Field had gone about as poorly as possible for McCarthy and the Vikings' offense, he didn't appear to lose his confidence. He stepped into those two throws to Jefferson nicely and delivered them accurately to his best receiver. And just like that, amid a disastrous night, the Vikings were back within one score.

The Vikings couldn't convert on the two-point conversion, so they trailed 17-12 after the TD pass. But not long after, they got the ball back and McCarthy threw another touchdown to Aaron Jones, giving the Vikings a 20-17 lead. Follow along with our live updates here.

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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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