The NFL decided to schedule a pair of NFC North divisional matchups right away in Week 1. After the Green Bay Packers crushed the Detroit Lions on Sunday, it was the Minnesota Vikings‘ turn to declaw the Chicago Bears, 27-24, on Monday night.
Both quarterbacks were set for their first starts in a new offense, though J.J. McCarthy was making his first career NFL start, and at times it showed. But so did his championship pedigree. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams looks like a much different player with Ben Johnson’s help. Overall, who were the biggest winners and losers from another great primetime battle?
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Winner: Chicago Bears’ Coaching Hires
It turns out, coaching can make a big difference from one year to the next. While Dennis Allen’s defense has elite potential, the offense has long been the Bears’ biggest weakness. With coach Ben Johnson calling the shots, the Bears look like they have a team that can compete on both sides of the ball, and folks in Chicago haven’t seen that for quite some time.
Johnson’s offense made what normally is a good Vikings defense look amateur early on with Williams rarely looking like he would run out of time. It’s one game, but so far it looks like the Bears made a pair of home run hires, and fans should be particularly excited about the offense.
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Loser: Ben Johnson Outcoached By Kevin O’Connell
While Johnson brings exciting potential to the Windy City, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is already heading into his fourth season at the helm. He realized his young quarterback was struggling, so he found different ways to get the ground game going, and drew up easy looks for McCarthy, including some screen passes.
Yet, it was also the little things, like in the fourth quarter when the Vikings were taking the kick return with a 27-24 lead and 2:02 seconds on the clock. O’Connell could be seen telling return man Ty Chandler to take the ball out of the end zone, only to make sure the Bears wouldn’t have the advantage of an extra clock stoppage timeout. No wonder O’Connell has a 13 and 14 win season on his coaching resume.
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Winner: Jordan Mason’s Bid for RB1 Duties
The Vikings didn’t have their best offensive lineman, with McCarthy’s blindside protector Christian Darrisaw still returning from last season’s ACL tear. His replacement Justin Skule, had his name called several times, which is never a good sign for the typically invisible offensive lineman.
Yet, this unit turned things around in the second half, allowing the running game to sizzle. Jordan Mason in particular helped wear out the defense with his 5-foot-11, 223-pound frame. He accounted for 68 yards on 19 carries for a respectable 4.5 yards per carry. Aaron Jones struggled, averaging just 2.9 yards on eight attempts, but he was tied with Justin Jefferson for the team’s leading receiver with 44 yards and a touchdown. Both backs were key in winding down the clock late in the fourth quarter to help secure the first win of McCarthy’s career.
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Winner: Caleb Williams and His Fancy Feet
We knew Caleb Williams had unique athleticism. It’s what makes him a tantalizing quarterback prospect, especially because he can release the ball from so many unique arm angles. Yet, on Monday night, we saw Williams display an advanced pocket awareness that made him look like a player who was impossible to catch until Javon Hargrave wrapped him up twice.
One other time when Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman was in pursuit, Williams turned on the jets and sprinted away for a 13-yard gain. If this is the new normal, Williams could indeed become a superstar in Chicago.
Loser: Bears’ Discipline, Inexperience Lead to Loss
The Bears were in position to win this game, but they also made several mistakes that evidently came back to bite them in the end. They may have even cost them the game.
Chicago committed a whopping 12 penalties for 127 yards compared to Minnesota’s eight for 50 yards. That’s a huge difference that undoubtedly helped swing the momentum in the Vikings’ favor. However, there were other issues, like Bears kicker Cairo Santos missing a 50-yarder, or Chicago having a punt blocked in the fourth quarter. It may not seem like much, but in a three-point loss, any of these mistakes could have made a difference.
Winner: J.J. McCarthy Shows Youth, But More Moxie
Early on, it looked like J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings’ offense were in for a long night. They had six points entering halftime. Then, McCarthy opened the second half my connecting with Bears cornerback (and former Viking) Nahshon Wright for a 74-yard pick-six. What a tale of two halves, orone quarter really.
Once the fourth quarter kicked off, McCarthy turned into a different man, a grizzled veteran who looks like he’s won a championship or two in his lifetime. Suddenly, McCarthy was making plays with his arm and his legs. Heck, Jefferson had just four yards entering the fourth quarter, but the Vikings QB started peppering him with targets, leading to the first passing touchdown of McCarthy’s career.
But he wasn’t done. McCarthy’s best throw may have been a well-placed ball where only running back Aaron Jones could get it for a 27-yard touchdown. Yet, McCarthy had more to show.
Later, when the Vikings had already climbed back from down 17-6 to 20-17, McCarthy drove down the field again and used a read-option to score a 14-yard rushing touchdown himself to push the score to 27-17.
While there were ups and downs, the Vikings have to like what they saw from their 22-year-old quarterback after he became the first player making his debut to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This kid might be special.
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