The first week of the NFL season had plenty of interesting storylines, but none were as interesting for the Michigan Wolverines fanbase as the debut of J.J. McCarthy on Monday night football against the Chicago Bears.
It wasn't an easy debut, as McCarthy was on the road against a Bears team that had a lot of hype coming into the year. But, despite a rough start, McCarthy led an impressive comeback that began his career off on an impressive note.
A few days later, the National Football League announced some incredible news for McCarthy, as the former Wolverines quarterback won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
McCarthy Earns Award in First Games Played in The NFL
McCarthy led the Vikings to a 27-24 comeback win over the Bears, and after such a victory, the NFL announced that McCarthy was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
NFC Players of the Week! (Week 1)@jjmccarthy09 | @_Nate_Landman | @_kam01_ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/LvvgOWIJNg
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2025
He finished his NFL debut with 13 completions on 20 attempts for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown. He also took three sacks for nine yards lost, but ran for 25 yards on two carries, including a 14-yard rushing touchdown to make it 27-17 with under three minutes to play.
It's not the flashiest stat line, but McCarthy, in his NFL debut after missing the entire 2024 season, led a comeback on the road after beginning his night on a terrible note.
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The Vikings offense started the year with the following drives: Punt, punt, field goal, punt, punt, field goal, pick-six, punt, punt. Through McCarthy's first nine drives in the NFL, he led his team to score six total points, while giving up a pick-six.
While the Bears looked like the better team, everything flipped in the fourth quarter, as McCarthy led three straight touchdown drives of 60, 50, and 68 yards to take a two-possession lead.
Minnesota won week one, and McCarthy, thanks to his incredible mid-game turnaround and comeback win, earned the NFL Offensive Player of the Week for the NFC in week one of the 2025 NFL season.
It's a great start to McCarthy's NFL career, as the former Michigan quarterback impressed in his debut with the Vikings after missing the entire 2024 NFL season after being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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