Former Michigan QB leads historic fourth-quarter comeback in NFL debut with Vikings

J.J. McCarthy has his favorite childhood teams’ number.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback, who went 3-0 against Ohio State while at Michigan, began his NFL career with a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

The Chicago-area native, who grew up a Bears and Buckeyes fan, settled in after a dismal first half to make history. The 2024 No. 10 overall pick totaled three touchdowns in the final 12:13 to become the first quarterback making his NFL debut to lead a comeback down double digits to start the fourth quarter.

McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury, threw a pick-six at the 12:51 mark of the third quarter, putting the Vikings in a 17-6 hole.

It was nearly all Minnesota after that. A 13-yard touchdown strike to Justin Jefferson in the end zone sparked the rally. Just over two minutes later, McCarthy dropped a pass in the bucket to running back Aaron Jones for a 27-yard score to give the Vikings a 20-17 lead. He showcased his rushing ability later in the fourth quarter, scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown at the 2:53 mark for a 10-point cushion.

“Honestly, we were just figuring it out,” McCarthy told ESPN on the field postgame of finding a rhythm in the fourth quarter. “We were playing one play at a time, and Coach (Kevin) O’Connell got us in some great play calls, and we just executed at the end of the day. Just came down execution.”

McCarthy, who went 27-1 as a starter at Michigan, bounced back after a dreadful start.

A 28-yard completion to Jalen Nailor in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter was McCarthy’s lone bright spot. He was 5 of 8 passing for 48 yards and was sacked twice, but the Vikings only trailed by four heading into halftime.

McCarthy finished 13 of 20 passing for 143 yards while adding 25 yards on the ground.

“It’s game one,” McCarthy said. “There’s a lot of things we got to clean up but I was really, really proud of how we responded because there’s going to be a lot of gritty games in the future.”

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