CHICAGO — The conversation about young quarterback J.J. McCarthy could’ve gone much differently had he not found his rhythm on Monday night at Soldier Field.
There were growing pains for McCarthy in his NFL debut, and as a result, the Vikings found themselves chasing the game.
As soon as McCarthy found his stride, however, he helped lead a comeback that ended with the Vikings walking away with 24-27 win over the Chicago Bears.
It was an impressive turnaround from McCarthy considering how much he struggled for the Vikings in the the early stages. On the other side, quarterback Caleb Williams crumbled down the stretch for the Bears, proving that he still has a long way to go
Here are some takeaways the Vikings’ 27-24 win over the Bears:
J.J. McCarthy proved he’s the guy
There were a number of times that McCarthy could’ve folded under pressure. Like when he was struggling to string together drives before halftime. Or when he immediately threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown after halftime.
That’s simply not how McCarthy is wired. There’s a reason he’s won at every level. He never loses confidence in himself, which, in turn, makes it easy for his teammates to maintain their confidence in him.
A perfect example of that came in primetime.
Never mind that McCarthy hadn’t moved the ball much to that point. He led the offense on a trio of scoring drives in the final frame, throwing for a pair of touchdowns, and rushing for a touchdown, as well, which helped propel the Vikings to a win over the Bears.
The mental fortitude that McCarthy displayed along the way is why so many people walked away feeling like he was the right guy to lead the Vikings into the future.
Jordan Mason looked the part
If the Vikings didn’t have running back Jordan Mason on their roster, they might have lost the game to the Bears.
That speaks to Mason’s effectiveness while logging 15 carries for 68 yards. Who cares that he didn’t find the end zone? That’s going to come at some point.
There was a pivotal stretch during which Mason helped take the edge off with a couple of runs that went for big gains. That opened everything up downfield and McCarthy was able to hit star receiver Justin Jefferson for a touchdown that gave the Vikings some life.
It’s a credit to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah that Mason is a part of the equation. He swung a deal with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Mason for what basically amounted to a late draft pick.
It’s looking more like a heist in hindsight given how impactful Mason looks in the backfield.
Javon Hargrave couldn’t be contained
There were so many contributors for the Vikings on the defensive line that it doesn’t feel right to single out a player.That said, veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was so dominant in the trenches that, well, he must be mentioned on his own.
It’d be an understatement to say Hargrave lived up to the hype in his first game with the Vikings. He finished with a pair of sacks while consistently making life miserable for the offensive line on the other end.
Though none of his peers were credited with sacks, they made their presence felt, whether it was veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, young defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, or any of the other players in the rotation.
It’s pretty clear that unit up front is going to be massive for the Vikings moving forward.
Eric Wilson stepped up big time
The train could’ve gone off the tracks after starting linebacker Blake Cashman left the game with hamstring injury. The fact that it didn’t is a testament to veteran linebacker Eric Wilson and his preparation.
Not only did Wilson take over as the person wearing the helmet that gets the play call from defensive coordinator Brian Flores, he didn’t miss a beat while making sure everybody was on the same page.
That why the Vikings went out an signed Wilson as a free agent.
On top of making a difference on defense, Wilson continued to be an ace on special teams, partially blocking a punt late to give the Vikings the ball back in a good spot. He was everything everywhere all at once.
Myles Pride was a pleasant surprise
It might not be hyperbole to say receiver Myles Price is already the best punter returner the Vikings have had since cornerback Marcus Sherels proudly held down the role for nearly a decade.
That’s how good Price was in his NFL debut.
After coming to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent, Price slowly started to separate himself from his peers in the competition to be the starting punt returner. He won the job out of training camp and proved to be the right choice.
Not only did Price look comfortable catching the ball out of the air, he finished with 4 punt returns for 68 yards. That average from Price was more than 10 yards more than than receiver Brandon Powell averaged previously as the punt return.
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