J.J. McCarthy had a message to his teammates before leading a clutch comeback victory.
, but his leadership and response to adversity perhaps stood out the most in the gritty 27-24 victory. When the Vikings were trailing Chicago 17-6 in the third quarter, McCarthy simply said to his teammates in the huddle, "Where would you rather be?" McCarthy told reporters after the game that he's never said that to teammates before, but it felt right in the moment.
"I feel like it was at the perfect time," McCarthy told reporters. "Guys were kind of in their head a little bit. A smile goes a long way, so there was a lot of smiles after I said that. Just a little big of a perspective shift. Yeah things weren't going our way, but we're here doing this together. The boys, they responded perfectly."After a rough first three quarters which saw McCarthy throw a pick-six as the Vikings offense generated just two field goals, McCarthy both managed to lift up his teammates and engineer a comeback win like a seasoned veteran, not a quarterback making his first NFL start.in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback and win 27-24. He threw two touchdown passes—to Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones—before running in for a 14-yard touchdown to take a two possession lead and ultimately win the game.Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
J.J. McCarthy Leads Vikings Comeback With 21-Point Fourth Quarter to Stun BearsJ.J. McCarthy made a statement with a three-touchdown comeback win over the Bears.
Read more »
After brutal start, magical J.J. McCarthy 4th quarter leads Vikings to winThings went as poorly as possible for three quarters, but the game didn't end there. What a debut for the Vikings' quarterback.
Read more »
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings spoil Ben Johnson's Bears debutJ.J. McCarthy struggled early, but his run game helped spur a come-from-behind win over the Bears.
Read more »
Winners, losers as J.J. McCarthy, Vikings complete 27-24 comeback vs. BearsThe Minnesota Vikings came back down 17-6 in the final quarter to upset the Chicago Bears on the road in Week 1. Here are winners and losers.
Read more »
J.J. McCarthy leads epic Vikings comeback over Caleb Williams, Bears to completely flip NFL debutJ.J. McCarthy threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another in his long-awaited NFL debut as the Vikings defeated the Bears.
Read more »
J.J. McCarthy Sizzles As Caleb Williams, Bears Fall Flat on Monday Night FootballIn his NFL debut, McCarthy ignited a furious fourth-quarter comeback. Chicago and new coach Ben Johnson, meanwhile, showed they have a long way to go in the franchise's latest attempt at a rebuild.
Read more »