The Minnesota Vikings turned what appeared to be a Week 1 disaster into an impressive come from behind victory on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
In second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy's first career NFL start, he looked rough early on. He threw a pick-six and was unable to move the football for the Vikings' offense. However, that changed in the fourth quarter.
When all was said and done, McCarthy completed 13 of his 20 pass attempts for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and an interceptions. He also ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on two attempts.
Minnesota could not have asked for a better debut performance. It could have asked for him to start playing well earlier in the game, but the end result was a 1-0 record to begin the new season.
Looking ahead, the Vikings are facing a tough task to get into the playoffs. In the NFC North division alone, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are both expected to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
That being said, one Minnesota legend spoke out with an extremely bold prediction when it comes to both the Vikings and Packers.
Jared Allen, an elite pass rusher in his day, spoke out and seemed to hint that McCarthy is better than Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. He thinks Minnesota clearly the team to beat in the NFC North division.
"We have a ton of tape on Jordan Love. There's not a lot of tape on JJ McCarthy," Allen said.
Needless to say, there are differing reactions to that statement. On one hand, Love has already proven himself to be a very talented quarterback. There not being tape on McCarthy could end up being a bad thing in the long run.
Allen is certainly allowed to have his opinion about the Vikings and McCarthy. To place them over both the Lions and Green Bay seems a bit hasty. It could happen, but it's also possible that Minnesota got lucky in Week 1 against a Bears team that has not won consistently for years.
Only time will tell, but this statement is an extremely bold prediction. At the end of the season, it will be interesting to see where Love and McCarthy stack up against each other.
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