Fast forward to the final ticks on the clock and McCarthy had orchestrated something that would be deemed well-beyond his 22 years of existence. An award winning performance it was. An award winning performance it now shall be.

Player of the Week honors for MN Vikings McCarthy

J.J. McCarthy finished with just 143 yards passing on 13-of-20 completions. He had two touchdowns but also threw a pick-six. On the surface, those numbers are hardly notable. The performance was though, and he earned Week 1 NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for it.

NFC Players of the Week! (Week 1)@jjmccarthy09 | @_Nate_Landman | @_kam01_ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/LvvgOWIJNg

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2025

For the vast majority of that game it would have been asinine to suggest that McCarthy was doing anything close to noteworthy. It got worse when former Vikings cornerback Nahshon Wright just a pass to Justin Jefferson and housed it to make it a 17-6 game in the third quarter.

Stats for the NFC Offensive Player of the Week with 13:39 remaining in the 4th quarter:

7/12 for 56 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 35.4 passer rating, 1 rush for 11 yards, sacked 3 times

— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) September 10, 2025

Player of the Week honors for McCarthy aren’t just a reflection of what he did in the fourth quarter though. It’s how he accomplished it. This young kid galvanized a huddle of grown men multiple years his senior. He embodied the leadership of a grizzle veteran and got belief when it may have been waning.

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

During the final frame McCarthy was 6-of-8 for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran in a 14-yard score. With the win he is the first quarterback to lead a comeback from 10-plus points in the fourth quarter during an NFL debut since Steve Young in 1985, adding in road game consideration, the feat dates back to at least 1950.

Minnesota has had 11 players named NFC Player of the Week during the first week of the season since 1984.

Stop sleeping on JJ McCarthy

The list of smart football people telling you that J.J. McCarthy is special remains long. The list of people telling you that McCarthy is questionable still remains longer. It would behoove anyone to be on the right side of this discussion.

After being named NFC Player of the Week, McCarthy saw the official NFL “X” (formerly Twitter) account prop him up as well. If it isn’t loud enough to hear just how good this kid can be yet, then you’re intentionally not listening.

Related: QB Expert Would Take JJ McCarthy Over Everyone

The Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football in their Week 2 matchup. It will be an opportunity to see McCarthy square off against Michael Penix Jr. yet again. The last time they went against each other, McCarthy’s Wolverines won a National Championship over Penix’s Huskies.

Your Western Conference Player of the Week:

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS#AllEyesNorth #NBA pic.twitter.com/SNzDCMyxtm

— ? TIMBERWOLVES RISING™ ? (@WolvesRising) November 20, 2017

The 2015 NBA Draft’s 1st overall pick averaged 20.3 PPG and 12.3 RPG over the four games. The most impressive being his 26 point and 16 rebound performance against Gregg Popovich’s Spurs. Karl turned 22 years old last Tuesday. I wrote an article about how AMAZING he has been, up to this point. It’s evident the seven footer will only continue to improve, over the next few years. That has to be a SCARY thought for the rest of the Western Conference.

Many people consider Joel Embiid the most talented, young big man in the league. That’s fine. You can keep him Philadelphia. I’ll take Towns over anyone. We don’t need to limit our centers’ minutes, up in these parts. While we’re at it, what’s up Anthony Davis? You’re a freak, Brow. It’s unfortunate your limbs are held together with paper mache. Oh, you want to talk Kristaps Porzingis too? I don’t think the Latvian can hang down low with KAT. Porzingis averages just 7 rebounds per game vs KAT’s 11+. Fine, Porzingis can score this season (or at least has permission to shoot now that Melo is gone)… let’s see it for a full season. He and the Knicks come to Target Center on January 12th, 2018. CAN’T WAIT!

The award is a bright spot in what has been a rough few days, team-wise. After back-to-back losses to Detroit and Charlotte, the Wolves fell to 10-7 overall. Timberwolves Nation had the claws out after the Hornets game. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. I LOVE your passion. That shit gets me jacked up. With that said, this “Big Three” is still getting used to playing together. R-E-L-A-X.

Do you know another “Big Three” still getting acquainted with one another? Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. The trio came into the season with higher expectations than Towns, Butler, and Wiggins. They currently stand at 7-9 overall. OKC blew a 23 point lead last Friday to the Spurs. A Spurs team that we just beat.

Lebron joined Miami in 2009. That team started .500 through their first 22 games together. Despite the slow start, they went on to reach the NBA Finals.

What’s the point?

Historically, newly formed “Big Threes” usually get off to a sluggish start. This is the case (Keenum) with the Timberwolves. It’s NORMAL. There is no need to have a conniption. Just because MN lost two straight, the sky isn’t falling. In Embiid and 76ers like fashion, we need to “trust the process”.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com