J.J. McCarthy, Vikings spoil Ben Johnson’s Bears debut

Courtney Cronin

Courtney Cronin

ESPN Staff Writer

Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

Sep 8, 2025, 11:35 PM ET

CHICAGO — Hello J.J. McCarthy. And welcome back to the Minnesota Vikings defense.

The team’s new era at quarterback began with a rousing comeback victory over its NFC North rival in a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears.

And for as much attention as McCarthy’s debut will generate — it was the Vikings’ defense that kept the team in the game while the offense struggled.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed his first 10 passes as Chicago took a 10-3 lead in the second quarter, but the Bears’ offense didn’t score again until 2:02 remained in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy accounted for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including passes of 13 yards to Justin Jefferson and 27 yards to Aaron Jones Sr., and his 14-yard scramble in the fourth quarter put the Vikings up by 10 and accounted for the final margin.

Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:

What to make of the QB performance: If you drew up a reasonable but optimistic projection of how McCarthy’s first NFL start would go, this would be it. He looked frenetic in the first half, changing plays frequently and looking unsettled in the pocket. An interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter seemed to end the game. But McCarthy, who is now 64-3 in games he has started since his sophomore year in college, settled down in the second half. The takeaway after his first start? McCarthy is a winner.

Trend to watch: The Vikings built the idea of their running game to help McCarthy transition into his role, and it spurred the team during its second-half run. Newcomer Jordan Mason managed only 14 yards in the first half but his hard running broke the Bears after halftime, and he finished with 68 yards on 15 carries. Mason’s emergence coincided with the Vikings’ first two touchdown drives.

Stat to know: The Vikings’ offense needed help in the first half after accumulating only 80 yards and four first downs, and kicker Will Reichard came to the rescue. His 59-yard field goal just before halftime tied a Soldier Field record, a notable achievement given the historically bad weather and field conditions in Chicago, and was the second longest in Vikings history. Minnesota’s record is 61 yards by Greg Joseph, converted indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2022. — Kevin Seifert

Next game: vs. Atlanta Falcons (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

For nearly three full quarters, the Ben Johnson era looked as if it would begin by putting the “same old Bears” moniker to bed. Chicago began its season opener at Soldier Field with a touchdown and built a double-digit lead late in the third quarter behind a stout defensive performance.

But missed opportunities by the Bears to distance themselves from the Vikings proved costly. After rattling quarterback J.J. McCarthy in his NFL debut, the Bears’ defense struggled to contain a Vikings offense that scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to wrestle away the lead from the Bears.

Monday night was Chicago’s fourth loss in the past four seasons when entering the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead. That’s twice as many as any other team over that span.

For a team trying to leave the failures of last season in the past, the same issues continue to be a problem.

Turning point: The Bears saw a 17-6 lead they built after Nahshon Wright‘s pick-six waste away during a stretch that began late in the third quarter. Williams was flagged for intentional grounding with Chicago at Minnesota’s 34-yard line. Two plays later, Cairo Santos‘ 50-yard field goal attempt went wide right. The Vikings then scored on back-to-back possessions to take the lead.

Wasted momentum: Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sent the house on third-and-8 early in the third quarter with the Vikings in field goal range. The seven rushers rattled McCarthy into throwing an interception, which resulted in the first defensive/special teams touchdown of the 2025 season. Wright jumped Justin Jefferson‘s route and ran back a 74-yard pick-six to give Chicago a 17-6 lead. It’s the second straight season opener in which the Bears broke open a game with a pick-six.

What to make of the QB performance: Caleb Williams’ 10 straight completions to start the game was the longest streak by a Bears quarterback to start a season opener since 1978 and the most consecutive completions in his NFL career. But things changed dramatically in the second half. He finished 20 of 34 for 191 yards and scored a rushing TD and passing TD. His passer rating was 84.3 and he was sacked twice.

Troubling trend: The Bears were flagged 12 times and racked up 127 penalty yards. Pre-snap penalties were an issue throughout training camp and a trend the Bears couldn’t buck after four false starts in the first half. Two defensive pass interference calls led to points for Minnesota — a 31-yard field goal and the Vikings go-ahead touchdown. — Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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