J.J. McCarthy led the Minnesota Vikings to a 27-24 comeback victory over the Chicago Bears in his NFL debut.
The rookie quarterback struggled for the first three quarters, throwing a pick-six and leading the offense to just six points.
McCarthy turned his performance around in the fourth quarter, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another.
J.J. McCarthy made his much-anticipated debut as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback on Monday against the Chicago Bears.
Early on, the 22-year-old’s lackluster performance had many wondering whether the Vikings would have been better off keeping Sam Darnold for another season.
But in the fourth quarter, McCarthy began to show signs of life. He settled in nicely over his final four drives and showed Vikings fans a glimpse of what their future might look like with him as their top quarterback by leading Minnesota to a come-from-behind 27-24 victory.
Here’s what to know about McCarthy’s debut stats, and the major highlights and lowlights from it.
J.J. McCarthy stats today
Below is a full look at McCarthy’s stat line from his debut:
Completion/attempts (%): 13/20 (65%)
Passing yards: 143
Passing TDs: 2
INTs: 1
Yards per attempt: 7.2
Passer rating: 98.5
Carries: 2
Rushing yards: 25
Rushing TDs: 1
Throughout the game’s first three quarters, McCarthy struggled to spark Minnesota’s offense. He led the team to points on just two of its first nine drives while the team racked up a whopping six three-and-outs.
During that time, McCarthy appeared to have trouble finding open receivers despite facing a Bears secondary that was without two of its top cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Justin Jefferson had logged only one catch entering the fourth quarter, and McCarthy appeared unable to get the ball to him.
On one of the rare occasions McCarthy did target Jefferson, he tried to force the ball to him while Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright was sitting in coverage underneath him.
Wright was able to break on the ball and get an easy pick-six, which took away a potential field goal opportunity for the Vikings and extended Chicago’s lead to 17-6.
At that point, it looked like McCarthy’s debut would be of the inauspicious variety.
J.J. McCarthy fourth-quarter stats, highlights
However, in the fourth quarter, McCarthy managed to level up. He started to show poise in the pocket and hit Jefferson on a couple of longer passes, including the first touchdown of the Michigan product’s NFL career.
McCarthy’s touchdown was well-timed, as he managed to get the ball to Jefferson before the throwing window closed.
On the ensuing drive, McCarthy lofted another quality pass to Jefferson, though the veteran was unable to corral it.
All told, McCarthy posted spectacular stats in the fourth quarter. Below is a look at how he fared over the game’s final 15 minutes.
Completion/attempts (%): 6/8 (75%)
Passing yards: 87
Passing TDs: 2
INTs: 0
Yards per attempt: 10.9
Passer rating: 149.5
Carries: 1
Rushing yards: 14
Rushing TDs: 1
While the early portion of McCarthy’s debut left a lot to be desired, Vikings fans will certainly be encouraged by what the 22-year-old accomplished to lead them to a come-from-behind win.
