The victory also caused some movement for the Vikings in this week’s Power Rankings, with the biggest jump being two spots. Here’s a look at where the Vikings landed heading into Week 2 (scroll below for more on McCarthy):
No. 11 (up 1 spot): Eric Edholm – NFL.com
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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