A debut to remember.
After 501 days as a Minnesota Viking, J.J. McCarthy finally made his competitive debut in his home town of Chicago against the Bears.
Expectations and optimism were high. McCarthy and his teammates looked pumped up and ready to start the season.
Things did not start well, then they got worse. Then inexplicably, they got worse still.
Then, suddenly in the fourth quarter, everything clicked into place.
The ugly
In the first five drives of the game, the Vikings gained two first downs. One on a penalty for pass interference and the other, a J.J. McCarthy scramble for 11 yards.
There was a sign of life at the end of the half when McCarthy found Jalen Nailor for a 28-yard gain. This set up a 59-yard Will Reichard field goal – setting a new record at Solder Field.
Even with that 28-yard completion, McCarthy’s half-time stats were a tough read, completing only five passes for 48 yards.
McCarthy looked frenetic at the line too, changing plays frequently as the play clock wound down. It felt like the Vikings were playing with the handbrake on, not wanting to rely on McCarthy too much.
Still, at half time, despite being outplayed, the score was only 10-6.
The bad
As we entered the third quarter, there was a renewed sense of optimism. The Brian Flores defense had worked out how to stop Caleb Williams, forcing a punt on the Bears’ first drive of the half.
Myles Price – who had a very strong debut – returned the punt to the halfway line and the Vikings were set up with great field position to post some points.
A roughing the passer call got the Vikings into field goal range; then on third down, the unthinkable happened.
As a quarterback, turning the ball over at any time is not ideal. Turning it over when you are in position to score points is worse. Throwing an interception that is returned for a touchdown is about as bad it gets.
This was not a tipped ball where J.J. McCarthy was unlucky. This was a telegraphed pass that former Viking Nahshon Wright read, intercepted and returned 74 yards untouched to build a two-score lead.
The good
A lot of players would have buckled under that kind of adversity. With McCarthy, it seemingly had the opposite effect.
He had been playing like someone who was terrified of making a mistake. Throwing the interception was the biggest mistake he could make, but the sky did not fall in. His teammates still showed belief in him.
It seemed like instead of adding pressure, the interception actually released some.
Aaron Jones said in a post-match interview that in the huddle before delivering a play call early in the fourth quarter, McCarthy looked round his teammates and asked them: “Is there any place else you would rather be?”
Jones and Justin Jefferson have both praised the leadership qualities McCarthy has shown. The toughness and resilience is there for all to see.
Something clicked for McCarthy in the fourth quarter, as he completed six of his eight passes. Two of them went for touchdowns and another was a crucial two-point conversion.
The first was an absolute bullet to Jefferson in a tight window. The second, a floated ball up to Aaron Jones with a favourable coverage match-up.
McCarthy was not finished there. With time winding down, he kept the ball on an option play and showed his speed to record his first rushing touchdown.
One outstanding quarter of football does not make McCarthy a superstar. This is his first season as a starter and there will be ups and downs.
As far as starts go, this gave us a bit of everything. Bring on Week 2 and a first home game for McCarthy against the Atlanta Falcons.
