When the schedule makers pitted the Minnesota Vikings against the Chicago Bears on the "Monday Night Football" debut in 2025, the narrative practically wrote itself.
Caleb Williams, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick with new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, and J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ first-round selection and their handpicked quarterback of the future making his NFL debut.
The clash between the two rookie quarterbacks wasn’t destined to be a fireworks show, and in the first half, it lived up to that billing, but only on one side of the coin.
Good or bad, preaching patience under fire will remain important for the development of Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
A top 10 pick in 2024, McCarthy’s start was extremely rocky, to be nice. Tape that was littered with late throws, missed reads, and the kind of hesitation that can swallow a young quarterback whole in his first taste of the NFL. While Williams commanded the spotlight early, McCarthy appeared overwhelmed by the moment.
But if the first half was a story of nerves and inconsistency, the second half was something different: the slow but steady emergence of the young signal-caller Minnesota hopes will guide them for the next decade.
In the end, it wasn’t perfection that defined McCarthy’s debut, but progress. And that’s exactly the lens through which it should be viewed.
A First Half to Forget
The first 30 minutes showcased every growing pain you’d expect from a rookie quarterback making his debut on the road against a divisional opponent and a young, physical defense.
McCarthy's internal clock was extended, failing to trigger on quick concepts designed by head coach Kevin O’Connell to help him get into rhythm.
Chicago’s defense, keyed in on Minnesota’s inexperience under center, brought pressure off the edges and forced him to play faster than he wanted. In layman's terms, they sped up his process under center.
The result was a string of incompletions and stalled drives. His ball placement, a strength at Michigan, looked scattershot.
McCarthy twice missed on simple timing and rhythm throws, and even when he had time in the pocket, he appeared reluctant to attack windows that were closing quickly, instead opting for checkdowns, throwing the ball away, or taking unnecessary sacks.
By halftime, his stat line was uninspiring -- minimal yardage, minimal positives, and the sense that the game was moving at a speed he hadn’t yet adjusted to.
And yet, as so often happens with high-level coaching and adjustment-based football, something changed after the break. Whether it was O’Connell’s voice or McCarthy simply taking a deep breath, the quarterback who jogged out of the tunnel for the second half looked like a whole different type of cat.
The offense began leaning into play-action, giving McCarthy defined reads and half-field concepts to work with. He started triggering, trusting his eyes and mechanics rather than overthinking. His footwork was smooth, his release looked fluid, and the ability to drive the ball with accuracy was all there.
It was confidence, or the old proverbial lightbulb that went off in his head.
By the final whistle, McCarthy’s day went from uninspiring and people surely to question if he has "it", to a player that amassed three total touchdowns before night's end while becoming just the second quarterback in Vikings history to throw multiple touchdown passes in his NFL debut, joining Fran Tarkenton, who did so in 1961.
And interestingly enough, against these same Chicago Bears.
Kevin O’Connell’s Role
More important than the box score is the developmental arc at play here. O’Connell, one of the NFL’s more creative offensive minds, was hired in part because of his ability to work with signal-callers.
He shepherded Kirk Cousins into some of his best seasons, did the same with Sam Darnold, and now faces the challenge of molding a much younger, less experienced passer into a long-term starter.
In many ways, McCarthy is a perfect fit for O’Connell’s system. The Vikings’ offense leans on timing, rhythm, and precision -- concepts McCarthy showed at Michigan when asked to play within structure.
He has the athleticism to extend plays (rushing TD in Week 1) and throw on the move, traits that O’Connell can scheme into rollouts and bootlegs. And perhaps most importantly, McCarthy carries the poise and competitive fire that coaches covet when building around a rookie.
The rough first half, then, wasn’t a sign to raise the pitchforks, but rather an expected step in the process. O’Connell emphasized simple completions in the second half, giving his young quarterback confidence.
And as the season unfolds, the playbook will gradually expand, layering in more responsibility as McCarthy grows.
Development Over Results
The temptation after any rookie debut is to overanalyze -- to place too much weight on a single game as if it represents the player’s destiny. For McCarthy, for any quarterback making their first-ever NFL start, it would be a mistake.
What Minnesota needs isn’t immediate stardom, but steady progress. Quarterback development is rarely linear; the greatest leaps often come after struggles, when mistakes are catalogued, studied, and corrected.
If the Vikings wanted instant fireworks, well, the 28-year-old Sam Darnold likely would have still been in town. Instead, they invested in a 22-year-old with traits and intangibles that can be refined.
The Larger Picture
This season will be framed around McCarthy’s growth. The Vikings have surrounded him with enough talent to help him succeed -- Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson provide a formidable pass-catching trio, while an excellent offensive line and two-headed backfield can take the pressure off his shoulders.
Still, there will be bumps, just as there were against Chicago.
What Minnesota fans should take solace in is that the traits are there, and the coaching staff has a clear plan. The first half showed just how steep the learning curve can be for a rookie quarterback. The second half showed how quickly he can begin to climb it.
As McCarthy jogged off the field, his stat line was secondary to the impression he left: a young quarterback who didn’t fold under pressure, who adjusted, and who started to look the part by game’s end.
That’s how franchise quarterbacks are built -- not in a single game, but through the accumulation of lessons and growth along the way.
For McCarthy and the Vikings, this was just the beginning.