Confident JJ McCarthy wins over team-mates as Minnesota Vikings edge past Chicago Bears
JJ McCarthy overcame 12 months of injury frustration to win on his Minnesota Vikings debut
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell praised JJ McCarthy for his play, and the way he exuded belief to his team-mates, after the quarterback inspired the Vikings to a comeback 27-24 win at the Chicago Bears last night.
The Vikings trailed 17-6 at the start of the final quarter but McCarthy, who was making his NFL debut, threw touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones Snr before running in one of his own to deny Bears’ coach Ben Johnson a winning start to his tenure.
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O’Connell delighted with McCarthy bow
O’Connell was impressed with not just McCarthy’s actions but also his words as he maintained confidence in his ability to get the job done.
He said: “There’s no way to deny that we don’t win this game unless JJ plays the way he did in the second half and, most importantly, kept the belief of his football team behind him.
“Now we know it’s possible. We hope to not be in these circumstances very often, but his team’s made of the right stuff.”
Right tackle Brian O’Neill was equally encouraged by the way McCarthy spoke on the sideline after throwing a pick six early in the third quarter.
“He believed that it was about to pop,” O’Neill said. “There’s a lot of times where you’re like, ‘Yeah, all right, cool. Let’s go, whatever.’ But the conviction in his voice and how he was walking up and down the sideline talking to everybody, little details about different plays, getting guys locked in in the huddle. It was really cool to see.”
Early struggles make way for dominant finish
It was McCarthy’s first competitive game since January 2024. He was selected 10th by the Vikings in the 2024 draft but then suffered an MCL injury that saw him miss the entirety of his rookie season.
He struggled early on, managing just 48 yards in the first half, before his late explosion got the job done.
“The defense kept us in it the whole time, so it was just on our shoulders to go out there and execute and play as one and move on from that,” said McCarthy.
“That’s one of those things I don’t really hang on. And I was really grateful the way coach O’Connell handled it and was everyone on the same page.”