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- J.J. McCarthy recovers from pick-6, rallies Vikings to win over Bears</p>
<p>Field Level MediaSeptember 8, 2025 at 11:12 PM</p>
<p>9</p>
<p>Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images (Matt Marton-Imagn Images)</p>
<p>Chicago kid J.J. McCarthy made his first NFL start a memorable one, rallying the visiting Minnesota Vikings to a 27-24 win over the Bears on Monday night.</p>
<p>McCarthy made the decisive play with his legs on third-and-1 from the Chicago 14 with the clock ticking under three minutes. From the shotgun, he faked a handoff to running back Jordan Mason and sprinted right, racing to the front corner of the end zone behind a bullying block from tight end T.J. Hockenson to give the Vikings a 27-17 lead with 2:53 remaining.</p>
<p>Minnesota scored 21 unanswered points with touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter to erase a two-score deficit.</p>
<p>However, after going up 10, the Vikings allowed the Bears to reach the end zone in just 51 seconds to keep hope alive.</p>
<p>The Vikings' defense played a key role turning the game with third-down stops on six consecutive drives in response to the Bears jumping ahead 17-6, then propped the door open for Chicago when linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was flagged for roughing Bears quarterback Caleb Williams with 2:12 to go.</p>
<p>On the ensuing play, Williams scrambled up the middle away from pressure and sprinted to his right for 14 yards, but he was ruled out of bounds a foot shy of the goal line. Williams connected with Rome Odunze on an in-cutting slant from the left of the formation for a 1-yard touchdown, making it a 27-24 game.</p>
<p>McCarthy completed 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. A first-round pick in 2024, he missed last season recovering from knee surgery.</p>
<p>Williams, selected with the top pick nine slots before Minnesota chose McCarthy last year, was 21 of 35 for 210 yards and a TD. He led the team with 58 rushing yards and a touchdown.</p>
<p>McCarthy's second touchdown pass of the game came one snap after a pass-interference penalty, Chicago's 11th infraction in the game, saved the Vikings from a field-goal try. He found running back Aaron Jones down the right sideline for a 27-yard score and added the two-point pass to Adam Thielen with a quick out for a 20-17 advantage with 9:46 to go in the game.</p>
<p>Chicago had momentum and a 17-6 lead early in the third quarter thanks to Nahshon Wright's pick-6. The cornerback jumped McCarthy's pass to his left intended for Justin Jefferson and sprinted 74 yards for a touchdown and an 11-point advantage.</p>
<p>Right as the wheels appeared ready to wobble off for the Vikings, McCarthy pulled Minnesota within a score.</p>
<p>He zipped a 13-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Jefferson, who had a team-high four receptions for 44 yards. The Vikings' two-point try failed to keep the score 17-12 early in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota sacked Williams for the first time in the game on Chicago's first-down snap and forced a punt to get the ball right back.</p>
<p>Williams scored the first touchdown of the game on the Bears' opening drive, punching it in on a busted third-and-6 play from the Vikings 9, reaching the end zone to stake Chicago to a 7-0 lead. Minnesota answered with a pair of Will Reichard field goals (31, 59 yards) sandwiched around Cairo Santos' 42-yarder, all in the second quarter.</p>
<p>--Field Level Media</p>
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