The Minnesota Vikings have a tough test in front of them in Week 1, and this possible scenario could send the team's fans into chaos. The Vikings underwent some notable changes this offseason on both sides of the ball, but none was bigger than pivoting from Sam Darnold and handing the keys to J.J. McCarthy.
The de facto rookie missed all of the 2024 NFL regular season with a knee injury but is now back in the mix and hopes to keep the Vikings atop the NFL. However, with a young QB comes some bumpy roads, as it's rare for someone like McCarthy to hit the ground running.
It's likely that the early part of the 2025 season brings some struggles for the young QB despite all the talent he has around him on offense. And to take it a step further, one potential Week 1 scenario could send fans into a flat-out frenzy.
What if Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy struggles vs. the Chicago Bears in Week 1?
Minnesota is in Chicago in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season, and of course, it has to be the standalone Monday Night Football game.
It'll be the first taste of the regular season that McCarthy will have, and not only will he be playing in a hostile environment, but first career starts for many quarterbacks are typically rough ones.
And let's not look further than the 2024 NFL Draft's quarterback class for evidence. Here are some of the first career regular season starts for players who were taken in the first round like McCarthy.
Bo Nix: 26-for-42 | 138 yards | 0 TDs | 2 INTs | 47.5 rating | Loss
Jayden Daniels: 17-for-24 | 184 yards | 0 TDs | 0 INTs | 93.1 rating | Loss
Caleb Williams: 14-for-29 | 93 yards | 0 TDs | 0 INTs | 55.7 rating | Win
Michael Penix Jr.: 18-for-27 | 202 yards | 0 TDs | 1 INT | 73.4 rating | Win
As you can see, none of the quarterbacks mentioned above really played all that well in their first NFL start. Jayden Daniels was decent, but his team lost.
While McCarthy could slowly emerge as a top quarterback in the league as the season goes on, the performances of the four quarterbacks mentioned above point to the feisty Bears' defense defending their home turf and potentially embarrassing McCarthy.
Chicago's defense is quite stout on paper, so this isn't out of the realm of possibility. Would a sloppy loss in Week 1 for the Vikings send fans into a frenzy?