The Minnesota Vikings scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as they overturned an 11-point deficit and secured an unlikely 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football in Week One.
Bears fans would have been ecstatic with the start to the game their offense made under new head coach Ben Johnson, as their second-year quarterback Caleb Williams looked as poised and composed as he had ever looked. He rushed for a touchdown on the opening drive and appeared to have fixed the inaccuracy issues he was heavily criticised for last season.
By half-time, the Vikings would have felt fortunate that they were only down 10-6 as they could not get anything going on offense and the Bears carried all the momentum.
J.J. McCarthy's NFL debut had been the stuff of nightmares, that was until the fourth quarter. He helped his team overturn an 11-point deficit by throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another in the final quarter as the visitors completed a stunning turnaround, largely thanks to the immense character and leadership shown by the former Michigan quarterback.
First Quarter
It was the Bears who flew out of the blocks to start the game, forcing the Vikings to go three-and-out on their opening drive thanks to a Gervon Dexter sack on McCarthy on third down.
The Chicago offense then took over and Williams led his team on a 10-play drive down the field which saw last year's first overall draft pick complete all six of his pass attempts, before scrambling into the end zone himself for a nine-yard touchdown run to round off an electric opening drive for Chicago.
Score: 0-7
The home team had all the momentum, and the Bears defense once again forced a three-and-out on the Vikings' offense after McCarthy was sacked for a second time on third down, this time by Dayo Odeyingbo.
Second Quarter
After a concerning first quarter showing from the Vikings on both sides of the ball, they finally managed to sustain a drive to start the second quarter, albeit thanks to a pass interference penalty which gifted Minnesota 42 yards and placed the ball on Chicago's 27-yard line.
Despite facing a 2nd & 5 only 11 yards out from the end zone, the Vikings could not capitalise and were subsequently forced to take a 31-yard field goal, which Will Reichard duly slotted through the posts to finally get the Vikings on the board.
Score: 3-7
After Chicago failed to convert on fourth down on the next drive, three more three-and-outs followed as both offenses struggled to move the football.
Cairo Santos and Reichard traded field goals to end the first half, but Chicago fans would have been bemused as to how it was only a four-point game at half-time given how much the Vikings had struggled on offense.
Score: 6-10
Third Quarter
Williams recorded three-straight incomplete passes to open up the second half as the Bears went three-and-out, but just when they needed a spark to reignite the crowd, defensive back Nahshon Wright provided just that.
The Vikings faced a third down in field goal range, however Wright, a former Viking, was able to pick off McCarthy's pass intended for Justin Jefferson and returned the ball 74 yards for a pick-six, opening up a two-possession lead.
Score: 6-17
Two more three-and-outs followed for the Vikings to end the third quarter, as McCarthy's NFL debut was unravelling into a nightmare. He had completed just seven of his fourteen pass attempts and had amassed a mere 56 passing yards by the end of the third quarter as Chicago looked to be cruising towards a Week One win.
Fourth Quarter
The final quarter began with Santos missing a 50-yard field goal attempt, giving the Vikings' offense great field position. It took Minnesota just six plays to march down the field and score their first touchdown of the day as McCarthy connected with Justin Jefferson on a 13-yard touchdown pass, before failing a two-point conversion.
Score: 12-17
The Bears were then forced to punt the ball back to the Vikings after going three-and-out, before McCarthy produced another big-time throw as he connected with Aaron Jones for a 27-yard touchdown pass to take their first lead of the game. It took them just three plays and 50 seconds to get their second touchdown, and this time they converted the two-point try to make it a three-point game.
Score: 20-17
The momentum had completely shifted in Minnesota's favour, and after forcing another punt from the Bears, managed to extend their lead to 10 points after a nine-play drive resulted in McCarthy, now brimming with confidence, rushing for a 14-yard touchdown.
Score: 27-17
The Bears were visibly shellshocked, and while they were able to cut the lead to three points after Williams connected with Rome Odunze on a one-yard touchdown pass on the following drive, the Vikings were able to run down the two minutes left on the clock and closed out what was a memorable division win for Kevin O'Connell and his men to open up their season.
Final Score: 27-24