Mizutani: J.J. McCarthy proves he’s somebody the Vikings can believe in

The lore that young quarterback J J McCarthy already has about him has been built up through tales from his life that perfectly encapsulate the competitor he is at his core There was the time at Nazareth Academy when he led his teammates to an Illinois state championship despite playing with a broken thumb in his throwing hand Then the time at Michigan when he chose not to wear his signature eye black in the rivalry championship against Ohio State because he longed head coach Ryan Day to see his face when he beat him Now there s another story to add to the list after McCarthy authored an impressive comeback in his NFL debut Never mind that he struggled for prolonged stretches on Monday night at Solider Field He stepped up when his teammates needed him most of leading the Vikings to a dramatic - win over the Chicago Bears The defining moment for McCarthy came shortly after halftime when he threw an interception that Nahshon Wright returned for a touchdown That would ve been enough to make bulk players lose their composure Not McCarthy After taking a insufficient seconds to settle himself down on the sideline he walked back into the huddle looked his teammates in the eyes and questioned them a simple question saying Where else would you rather be It was a reminder from McCarthy to his teammates and maybe even to himself of how lucky they were to be on that stage Though he had never uttered that phrase to his teammates at any point McCarthy explained he felt it was the right thing to say given the situation A smile goes a long way and there were a lot of smiles after that McCarthy mentioned Just a little bit of a perspective shift It was exactly what the Vikings needed to hear from their leader If he wasn t rattled after making such a big mistake they damn sure better not be That instantly snapped everybody back to reality and made anything feel practicable I m like You re expletive right There s no place else I d rather be ' running back Aaron Jones reported That gave all of us a sense of motivation and reminded us to be present The conviction in McCarthy s voice might have been more major than the words His teammates couldn t help but believe in him when they saw how much he still held in himself He knows how to have that dawg mentality Justin Jefferson commented He never gave up That was the big thing about it He just kept going As memorable as that exchange in the huddle was in hindsight however it would ve been nothing more than a corny footnote had McCarthy not ascertained his rhythm The the majority powerful part was the fact he almost straightaway backed up his words with actions to erase the deficit and flip the encounter Whether it was threading the needle on a touchdown pass to Jefferson demonstrating his improved touch on a touchdown pass to Jones or showing off his athleticism on a touchdown run that proved to be the difference McCarthy was otherworldly down the stretch In the process McCarthy proved that he s somebody the Vikings can believe in which is something multiple people already knew about the -year-old that exists more or less as a living legend in his hometown of La Grange Park Ill We don t win this championship unless J J plays the way he did head coach Kevin O Connell commented Now we know it s feasible Related Articles Takeaways from the Vikings - win over the Bears Born in the th J J McCarthy leads Vikings to comeback win over Bears J J McCarthy s family and friends flood tailgate lot ahead of NFL debut Justin Jefferson was smart this summer to be ready for the Vikings this fall Frederick Vikings playoff hopes rest on J J McCarthy performing early