McCarthy completed his only pass attempt in the first quarter. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell just told ESPN that he likes McCarthy's demeanor and that the rest of the team -- him included -- needs to step up around him. He specifically said that the Vikings need to do a better job protecting him.

Minnesota quarterback JJ McCarthy led an inspired fourth-quarter comeback in his NFL debut to help the Vikings beat their division rivals, the Chicago Bears, 27-24 on Monday.

J.J. McCarthy threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another in his long-awaited NFL debut, and the Minnesota Vikings rallied for a season-opening 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

Both the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions suffered tough losses in the NFC North in Week 1. The Lions were steamrolled by the Green Bay Packers, and the Bears bl

NFC North rivals Minnesota (0-0) and Chicago (0-0) square off Monday Night in Chicago to close out Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.