JJ McCarthy rallies Vikings with 21-point fourth-quarter surge to beat Bears in first NFL start

MINNEAPOLIS — J.J. McCarthy led the Minnesota Vikings on a 21-point fourth-quarter rally Monday night, overcoming early struggles to beat the Chicago Bears 27-24 in his first NFL start at Soldier Field.

Trailing 17-6 entering the final quarter, McCarthy completed the comeback with a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, a deep scoring connection to Aaron Jones after a defensive pass interference call, a two-point conversion and a 14-yard rushing touchdown that put Minnesota ahead with 2:53 left. McCarthy finished 13-for-20 for 143 yards with two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one interception.

McCarthy’s snap-to-snap performance was uneven through three quarters as Chicago’s defense, under new coordinator Dennis Allen, applied pressures that disrupted the rookie. The Bears took an early lead when quarterback Caleb Williams opened the scoring with a rushing touchdown on Chicago’s first drive. A Minnesota turnover in the third quarter — a McCarthy pass returned for a pick-six — extended Chicago’s advantage and heightened skepticism about the young quarterback’s readiness.

But the Vikings defense forced a three-and-out to open the fourth quarter, and Minnesota’s offense responded. McCarthy drove the Vikings six plays for their first fourth-quarter touchdown, finding Jefferson at the front of the end zone for Jefferson’s first score of the season. Later in the quarter, a defensive pass interference penalty on the Bears set up a deep ball to Aaron Jones that gave Minnesota the lead after a successful two-point attempt. The decisive sequence ended when McCarthy kept on a third-and-1 read-option from the Chicago 14 and barreled into the end zone, drawing a celebration from teammates on the sideline.

Chicago answered late when Williams engineered a hurry-up drive and found Rome Odunze on a one-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to three with two minutes remaining. The Bears then forced a Vikings punt, but a limited amount of time and a short field kept them from mounting a final comeback.

Williams completed 21 of 35 passes for 211 yards and accounted for a rushing score, also leading Chicago with 58 rushing yards on six carries. D.J. Moore had 70 yards on three receptions and D’Andre Swift ran for 53 yards on 17 attempts. Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a fourth-quarter field goal attempt that would have narrowed the gap earlier in the period.

Minnesota’s ground game featured Jordan Mason with 15 carries for 68 yards while veteran Aaron Jones had eight carries for 23 yards; Jones and Jefferson each finished with 44 receiving yards. The Vikings also benefited from timely defensive plays that flipped field position late and gave McCarthy the opportunities to rally.

The start marked a return from a season-ending meniscus injury McCarthy suffered in preseason last year. He missed the Vikings’ 14-3 run under Sam Darnold, who guided Minnesota to a strong finish in 2024. Head coach Kevin O’Connell installed McCarthy as the starter for the 2025 campaign, and Monday’s finish provided an early affirmation of that choice despite the rookie’s midgame adversity.

The Vikings open their season 1-0 on the road; the Bears drop to 0-1. Minnesota will carry momentum from the late rally into its next matchup, while Chicago will look to tighten its execution under second-year head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as the season begins.