J.J. McCarthy certainly started his NFL career slowly. But on Monday Night Football, it was how you finish.
The Minnesota Vikings came from behind to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 1 by a final score of 27-24.
Minnesota went to the locker room down 10-6 at halftime, and then after a pick-six in the third quarter, the Bears led the game 17-6.
From that point on, it was all Minnesota. The Vikings scored three straight touchdowns. The first was a pass from McCarthy to Justin Jefferson from 13 yards out.
Quite the play call: pic.twitter.com/K6hD081IVy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2025
The second was to Aaron Jones, and it came from 27 yards out. Finally, the McCarthy dagger came on the ground, fooling the defense, and he rushed from 14 yards to put Minnesota up 10.
JJ MCCARTHY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
MINvsCHI on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/BfEqGXT2jg— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025
Caleb Williams found Rome Odunze for a touchdown to cut the game to three points, and Chicago actually got the ball back with :09, but in the end, Kevin O’Connell topped Ben Johnson in his first game as a head coach.
MORE: It took 8 minutes for Ben Johnson’s offense to help Caleb Williams do something he didn’t do all 2024
McCarthy finished the game 13 out of 20 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He had one interception in the game. On the ground, the quarterback finished with 25 yards and the score
Williams finished the game 20 out of 34 for 191 yards in the game. He ran the ball six times for 58 yards and the touchdown. DJ Moore had three receptions for 57 yards, while Rome Odunze led the team with five receptions.
Minnesota is at home on Sunday Night Football in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bears will play on the road at the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
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