What Vikings HC said to J.J. McCarthy at halftime of comeback win vs. Bears

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a first half to forget while making his regular-season debut in Monday night's game at the rival Chicago Bears. 

McCarthy then produced three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to guide his club to a come-from-behind 27-24 victory. Following the win, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed what he told McCarthy at halftime when Minnesota was facing a 10-6 deficit. 

Kevin O'Connell made a bold J.J. McCarthy prediction at halftime

"I told him at halftime, 'You are going to bring us back to win this game,' and the look in his eye was fantastic," O'Connell said about his chat with McCarthy at the break, per Grant Gordon of the NFL's website. "The best thing is just the belief I felt from the team and unit."

O'Connell's message didn't immediately produce a positive result, as McCarthy tossed a pick-six early in the third quarter. The Bears ultimately took a 17-6 lead into the contest's final frame, but McCarthy then delivered a comeback for the record books. 

In total, McCarthy tallied two touchdown passes and a 14-yard rushing score to rally the visitors from behind. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, the 2024 first-round draft pick who spent his entire rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair became the first quarterback in NFL history to be responsible for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of his official league debut. 

How J.J. McCarthy reacted to the pick-six

"He believed that it was about to pop," Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill said about how McCarthy reacted on the sideline after his third-quarter interception was returned for a touchdown. "There's a lot of times where you're like, 'Yeah, all right, cool. Let's go, whatever.' But the conviction in his voice and how he was walking up and down the sideline talking to everybody, little details about different plays, getting guys locked in in the huddle. It was really cool to see."

Along with the rushing score, McCarthy completed 13-of-20 pass attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears. He also gave his teammates reason to believe he can make plays when it matters most after Sam Darnold endured nightmare outings in Minnesota's final two games of the 2024 season. 

"We don't win this game unless J.J. plays the way he did in the second half," O'Connell added after the victory. "Most importantly, he kept the belief of his football team behind him. Now, we know it's possible."

The Vikings next host the Atlanta Falcons this coming Sunday night. Atlanta suffered a 23-20 Week 1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.