JJ McCarthy’s Legendary Moment in Vikings Huddle Shook Teammates, Sparked Comeback

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JJ McCarthy celebrates with teammates after scoring a rushing touchdown - Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

For the past 12 months, national media watched young quarterbacks who were drafted in 2024, around Minnesota Vikings No. 10 pick JJ McCarthy, succeed to varying degrees.

In that time — while watching No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and No. 3 pick Drake Maye get off to slow starts; or No. 2 pick Jaden Daniels and No. 12 pick Bo Nix exceeded expectations — pundits at widely aggregated mainstream sports media outlets somehow forgot about the upside of JJ McCarthy.

So with all those doubters watching the Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears Monday Night Football matchup from their couches, media studios or Soldier Field press box, JJ McCarthy made it clear why he was one of the most coveted QB talents available in that loaded 2024 QB draft class.

JJ McCarthy shook off the rust, then the doubters

It took nearly three quarters for McCarthy to shake off the rust. But his early-game struggles — which helped dig the Vikings into a 17-6 hole entering the fourth quarter — really just allowed for McCarthy’s natural-born leadership, poise in chaos and uncanny penchant to seize clutch moments shine through all the brighter.

Before we saw the MN Vikings’ redshirt rookie lead a 21-0 fourth quarter comeback to beat the Chicago Bears on the road on Monday Night Football (in the first start of his NFL career), McCarthy walked into an offensive huddle full of frustrated teammates late in the third quarter and caught the attention of his offensive teammates.

At that point, the Minnesota Vikings punter, Ryan Wright, had totalled 3.5X more total punt yards (290) than the Vikings offense had NET offensive yards (85). McCarthy’s statline was 7-of-12 for 56 yards and one ugly interception returned for a touchdown.

JJ McCarthy’s legendary moment inside MN Vikings huddle

But the quarterback who stepped into that group of men, some nearly twice his age, wasn’t a rattled rookie on the brink of a mental breakdown under the national spotlight, which could have been expected.

Instead, a calm, poised JJ McCarthy looked up at his teammates, smiled, and asked them one question, “is there anywhere else in the world you would rather be right now?” Just like that, everything changed.

“Guys were kind of just in their head a little bit and I feel like if you can… well, a smile goes a long way. So there were a lot of smiles when I said that and it was just a little perspective shift. Yeah, things weren’t going our way, but we’re here, doing this together. And the boys, they responded perfectly.”

JJ McCarthy after win vs Bears

Related: Former NFL Linebacker Blown Away by This Vikings Play Call by KOC

It took less than 10 minutes of gameplay, following McCarthy’s words of huddle inspiration, for the Vikings to flip Monday night’s game on its head, going from down 11 points, to up 10 points.

Vikings teammate reflects on McCarthy’s message of levity

After his words of inspiration, JJ led the Vikings on a 21-0 fourth quarter run where he completed 6-of-8 passes for 87 yards, two TDs through the air and one on the ground. Just like that, Minnesota was up 10 points, with time running out on the Bears’ hopes.

But even crazier than Minnesota’s comeback was that McCarthy seemed to know what was coming. After the game, Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones did a live video interview on “Speakeasy” a show hosted by former NFL players Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy.

There, the 9-year NFL vet who has played with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Jordan Love and Sam Darnold relayed what went through his and other teammates’ minds when their 22-year-old redshirt rookie QB (in his NFL debut) delivered a message that instantly changed the vibes of a huddle full of 10 other grown-ass men.

“It was a moment just stuck out to me. It was either late third, early fourth [quarter]. We were still down and  JJ runs in the huddle, after a TV timeout, and he looks at us and he’s like, ‘is there any place else you guys would rather be?’

I’m like… we was still down, we haven’t really caught our momentum yet, and I’m like wow, like this… and I’ve been told people he’s different up here. But that to me, that showed gratitude and presence. Like be present where your feet are.

[Because] you damn right, there’s no other place I’d rather be. I been dreamt of being on this field. Mentally, like he’s different up there mentally. I would say he’s very mature for his age.”

Vikings running back Aaron Jones on McCarthy’s moment in the huddle

JJ McCarthy’s box score doesn’t matter

On the night, McCarthy finished with an underwhelming 143 yards on 13-of-20 (64%) passing, to go along with his two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one ugly third quarter interception. But in the Minnesota Vikings locker room, none of that mattered.

We all read and watched the numerous JJ McCarthy features that were flying around the internet this last week, as reporters in town prepped Minnesota Vikings fans for the debut of our new franchise QB.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Rookie Dominates in Debut

Locally, anticipation surrounding McCarthy was at fever pitch. Patience isn’t exactly a virtue anymore, not among Vikings faithful who have waited 50 years for the purple to play for a Super Bowl.

And especially not after fans were forced to sit on their JJ to JJ dreams for a full year while the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history sat out all of 2024 due to a season-ending meniscus tear. But Monday night, all that waiting finally paid off, and now… the future opportunities feel endless.

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