Minnesota Vikings fans finally got a glimpse of J.J. McCarthy and what life with him as the quarterback of the Vikings could look like. At first, fans weren't loving what they were seeing, as the second-year quarterback making his NFL debut threw a pick-six in the third quarter to put the Bears up 17-6.
Well, by the time the fourth quarter came around, McCarthy had learned from his mistakes and displayed that in the best way possible. After the Bears missed a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Vikings offense put together a six-play drive that ended with McCarthy throwing his first touchdown pass (well, to a Vikings player) to Justin Jefferson to trim Chicago's lead to five.
Getting that first touchdown officially lit a fire under McCarthy as he suddenly couldn't be stopped. He had a 27-yard touchdown pass on the next possession to give Minnesota the lead, and then on the Vikings' following possession, he struck again, running the ball into the end zone for another six points and giving the Vikings a 10-point lead.
With all of McCarthy's touchdowns in that memorable fourth quarter, he did something that no other quarterback has done since Cam Newton's NFL debut in his rookie year in 2011. According to NFL+ on X, the Vikings quarterback was the first player since Newton to throw for two touchdowns and rush for a touchdown in his NFL debut.
J.J. McCarthy gave Minnesota Vikings fans a Cam Newton flashback with his debut
That was quite the rollercoaster ride for Vikings fans, who were probably quite worried about McCarthy in the first half.
Sure, even if this game went down as a miserable loss (the way it was looking like it would early on), we could have pointed to it being one game and the first of McCarthy's pro career (and also his first game since he was the quarterback at Michigan) but he made sure no one was thinking those thoughts when all was said and done.
McCarthy finished the game going 13-of-20 for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while rushing for 25 yards and another score with his legs. Not a bad debut for a guy who hasn't started a meaningful game since early 2024.
Anytime a player can match something that Cam Newton did early in his career, that's a win. It's also worth noting that Newton didn't win his rookie debut, as the Panthers dropped that game 28-21 to the Cardinals, so that's one of many things that McCarthy can boast about here.
It's still early, but Vikings fans can certainly say they have faith that their team finally has a franchise quarterback.