As anyone would expect, everyone in purple saw J.J. McCarthy’s masterful fourth-quarter performance in Chicago coming.
“I think it’s more validating for you guys,” Aaron Jones said, addressing the media on Wednesday. “We know what we had here.”
“Sometimes, it gets overplayed, the look in his eye and that type of thing,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips offered. “But his demeanor didn’t change.”
“We all believe J.J.’s made of the right stuff, and we all believe he would respond in those moments,” said Kevin O’Connell. “But that’s an accurate statement to say we hadn’t actually seen it.”
Therein lies the rub. We’ve gotta see it to believe it. Once upon a time, someone told us Christian Ponder and Tarvaris Jackson were franchise quarterbacks. We all know how that turned out.
Still, the Minnesota Vikings’ actions matched their words with McCarthy. They moved on from Sam Darnold, who threw for 35 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards last year. They mystically wisped Aaron Rodgers away when he belted out his siren song. The Vikings could have gone store-brand and retained Daniel Jones, but the Indianapolis Colts brought him in and made him their starter.
They’ve committed to McCarthy, and they’ve backed their words with actions.
However, McCarthy also probably needed to see it to believe it.
Here’s how I figure. Let’s focus on McCarthy’s infamous, “Where would you rather be?” line he says he uttered before the comeback. Here’s what he said regarding when he said it:
I knew we were around the minus-20 or minus-25 yard line in the end zone with the jumbotron, and I think it was the third quarter or something like that.
Let’s assume that McCarthy said this after he threw the pick-six to former Vikings practice squad player Nahshon Wright in the third quarter. Here’s how each drive went until McCarthy hit Justin Jefferson to make the game 17-12, Chicago:
Vikings: three plays, punt
Bears: five plays, punt
Vikings: three plays, punt
Bears: 11 plays, missed field goal
Exciting football, right?
Blame the Soldier Field turf.
A look at the turf of @SoldierField from the @vikings booth pic.twitter.com/GhQHjMmisU
— Chris Hawkey (@Chris_Hawkey) September 8, 2025
McCarthy likely uttered his ”Where would you rather be?” line on the third drive after the pick-six. The Vikings were never on the 25-yard line (or the 20) in the first drive after McCarthy’s pick. However, they were on the 25 on the third drive. Things also felt more dire then, making it the perfect time to drop the line. Somehow it worked.
Cairo Santos’s missed 50-yard field goal gave the Vikings a window of opportunity at the end of the fourth quarter, and they seized it. McCarthy hits Jefferson for the touchdown, the Bears punt, and then McCarthy leads them 50 yards on three plays for another touchdown.
Minnesota took command of the game from there. Chicago punts again, and Minnesota scores to take a 27-17 lead. Suddenly, the Vikings have an opportunity to create a little lore. McCarthy asks his teammates if there’s anywhere they’d rather be; O’Connell says he told McCarthy he’d lead them to victory at halftime. Minnesota wins and everyone stops panicking, at least until kickoff on Sunday night.
So, why did it work?
McCarthy likely drew from Jim Harbaugh’s famous line. His coach at Michigan, who now coaches the Los Angeles Chargers, routinely asks his players, “Who’s got it better than us?” It’s also probably derived from McCarthy’s daily meditation, which grounds him.
People who are present typically are less anxious and more likely to perform in stressful situations. So, say, being down 17-6 in Chicago while the offense is sputtering.
If you don’t buy that, try this: McCarthy got going after throwing that touchdown pass to Jefferson. On Monday night, he became the first quarterback in league history to account for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of his NFL debut. He probably needed to see a drive that ended in a score, even if he has ample self-belief.
Any quarterback would have trouble in Soldier Field, a loud stadium with patchy grass, in their first start. Even more so for someone who grew up a Bears fan in suburban Chicago.
He should be better able to communicate and execute plays at home, and the Vikings don’t play a true road game until November 2 in Detroit. They’ll face the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in Europe, and the Thursday night game against the Chargers on the road will feel like a home game.
Most teams script the first 15 plays of each game. O’Connell needs to dial something up for McCarthy that allows him to air it out and score on the first drive.
McCarthy says he felt a confidence boost when he hit Jalen Nailor for 28 yards to set up Will Reichard’s 59-yard field goal at the end of the half. O’Connell needs to replicate that feeling early against Atlanta. It’s great that the Vikings believed in McCarthy all along. Still, it’s nice to get some confirmation that they were right live and in primetime.