Entering the fourth quarter, J.J. McCarthy’s first start was nothing short of a nightmare. He’d completed 7 of 12 passes for 56 yards, taken three sacks and thrown a pick-six that put the Vikings in a 17-6 hole. But when the Bears missed a field goal that would’ve given them a two-touchdown lead, something clicked in McCarthy — and he went nuclear. A lot of credit goes to Kevin O’Connell, who truly feels like one of the league’s best coaches. But years from now, if McCarthy ultimately hits it big in this league, people will talk about his fourth quarter in Chicago. Suddenly flipping the switch in his first regular-season game, he led three brilliant TD drives, notching two scores with his arm and one with his legs, plus a two-point toss to Adam Thielen. Meanwhile, Brian Flores’ defense started getting home on pass rushes, making Caleb Williams pretty uncomfortable after halftime, but the night belonged to McCarthy — a Bears fan growing up — finding his way through some serious adversity.
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