Quarterback JJ McCarthy provided the Minnesota Vikings after a weak start for a remarkable 27:24 comeback victory at the Chicago Bears.
Vikings @ Bears: At a glance
- JJ McCarthy started the game extremely weak, seemed almost overwhelmed and the play calling of the Vikings was extremely conservative. In the end, however, the youngster turned up in his NFL debut and led his team to a comeback victory.
- On the other hand, Caleb Williams started strongly with an impressive series and his first rushing touchdown. But then the Bears-Orese did almost nothing.
- Vikings-Kicker Will Reichard hired a Soldier Field record in the first half.
Vikings @ Bears: The analysis
The JJ McCarthy era started slow for the Minnesota Vikings. The play calling was visibly designed not to demand the young quarterback too much. The result was a 3-and-out including sack at the end. In return, the home side did better. Caleb Williams started the game with ten Completions in a series and crowned the well-scripted first drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.
After that, however, the defenses took over on both sides and made the overall conservative offend – a lot of short, safe passes and run plays that remained not very efficient – life. Minnesota only achieved the first first down with the last play of the first quarter. The guests then opened the second quarter with a 31-yard Field goal by Will Reichard in a drive that was favored by a pass interference from Cornerback Nahshon Wright, who started for the injured Johnson, to Running Back Aaron Jones. The punishment was good for 42 yards in space gain.
In the meantime, Williams’ start series ended with his first incompetation in a fourth attempt. A few times later, Kicker Cairo Santos increased the lead to 10: 3 for Chicago, but the Vikings struck back before the break-Reichard nailed a 59-yard field goal through the bars-10: 6 Chicago for a break.
The second half then started with three incompletions in series by Williams and a punt. In return, the Vikings became a little braver, which was back, because McCarthy tried to find Justin Jefferson, who only caught one pass in the first half, on an out route. Wright recognized the situation and grabbed an interception from which he made a 74-yard pick-six. The Bears had played cover-0 in the situation and got McCarthy upset.
McCarthy gets going in the fourth quarter
After that it remained tough, but the Bears hardly got anything together, so that Santos ultimately awarded a field goal attempt from 50 yards. In return, the guests woke up and came into the Red Zone through an explosive run from Running Back Jordan Mason and a 17-yard catch from Jefferson. A little later, McCarthy found Jefferson again on a Dig route for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The game was open again with more than twelve minutes, even if the subsequent Two-Point Conversion failed.
And the Vikings quickly got the ball back after a sack by Javon Hargrave and an intentionally grounding penalty against Williams, whereupon they kept their foot on the gas. Just four moves later, including another pass interference, McCarthy then threw his second touchdown pass directly! This time he found Jones on a Corner route from the Backfield over 27 yards. Subsequently, a Two-Point Conversion by pass on Adam Thielen and gave the guests a 20:17 lead after 14 points in just around three minutes.
It came worse for the Bears, because not only were they stopped in series shortly afterwards, then the Vikings also blocked a punt and already got the ball back near the center line in their own half. The key to the upswing: more pressure! If defensive coordinator Brian Flores had previously played a little conservatively for his standards, he let significantly more flash in the second half, which caused Williams to problems.
The guests may then put their best drive in the game. Nine plays over 68 yards in 4:31 minutes. After a 19-yard run by Jordan Mason, McCarthy took over, Jefferson, Jones and TJ Hockenson through the air and then crowned the drive and his performance with a read option keeper over 14 yards to the touchdown. 27:17 Vikings to play with less than three minutes.
However, the Bears came back and Williams found Rome Odunze for a short touchdown pass two seconds before the Two minute Warning. After the subsequent kick -off return – Ty Chandler wore the ball deep out of his own end zone to start the clock and get to the Two -minute Warning – but the Vikings got the ball back with 1:55 minutes and since the Bears only had one timeout, the guests played the clock largely before the Bears got the ball one last time before the end. Too little to achieve something.
Minnesota Vikings (1-0) @ Chicago Bears (0-1)
Result: 27:24 (0: 7, 6: 3, 0: 7, 21: 7) Boxcore
Vikings @ Bears: The most important statistics
- The first touchdown in the game was also Caleb Williams’ first rushing touchdown in the NFL. According to “Next Gen Stats”, he reached a top speed of 20.29 miles per hour. This is the highest speed he has reached in his career and the tenth fastest speed of a quarterback since the start of the 2024 season.
- The 59-Yard Field goal before Will Reichard’s break set the record for the longest Field goal in the history of the Soldier Field (Matt Prater).
- For the Bears it was only the seventh defeat of the franchise story after going to a fourth quarter with at least ten points. Your balance sheet in such situations is now 244-7.
- McCarthy is now the second player in the history of the Vikings, who in his debut for several touchdown passes in his debut for the team. Before that, only Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton 1961-also against the Bears.
The star of the game: JJ McCarthy (Quarterback, Vikings)
After three quarters, we would have had to have a longer discussion about McCarthy and O’Connell, but after this fourth quarter, all doubts are off the table. McCarthy put on his first 4th quartersback comeback in the debut and led his team to 21 points in series. The bare numbers are not very impressive, but in the end there are three total touchdowns and a grandiose story in the first start for McCarthy.
The flop of the game: Caleb Williams (Quarterback, Bears)
Williams started promising with ten productions in a series and his first rushing touchdown in the NFL. But then the Bears get three points via Field Goal – the second touchdown achieved the defense! Williams fell into old patterns again, kept the ball too long and threw many inaccurate passes if he did not take unnecessary sacks. In general, the whole offense and Ben Johnson have to question large parts of the game.
Analysis: Vikings @ Bears – that was tactical
- Vikings-head coach Kevin O’Connell started the game very carefully in terms of plays for McCarthy. Run plays were mostly used in early downs and almost exclusively at First Down. If McCarthy was allowed to throw, the passports were usually very short. Even after Play Action, almost only checkdowns remained at the beginning. The problem with it: Since the Run Game hardly fruits, you always created obvious Passing Downs.
- The Bears defensively held against disguises and made McCarthy particularly difficult for life. And they largely forego lightning and already caused pressure on the QB with their 4-man rush.
- On the other hand, Ben Johnson was careful to quickly get Williams into a rhythm and also set short, safe passports at the start. In addition, it was striking that Williams searched almost exclusively for such secure comfort and very rarely looked downfield at all.
- With continuous playing time, however, the leaf turned, also because the Vikings flashed more and made Williams difficult to live. He kept the ball for too long, conceded sacks and threw inaccurate passes.
- McCarthy was increasingly left off the leash and the youngster thanked it with an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter.