It wasn’t the debut J.J. McCarthy had in mind, until it was.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback received a rude welcome to the NFL on Monday Night Football, facing the Chicago Bears and Dennis Allen’s relentless defense in front of a packed crowd at Soldier Field.

At least for three quarters.

No play summed up McCarthy’s night better than his pick-six to former Viking Nashon Wright to begin the second half.

The second-year pro looked uncomfortable all night long as he struggled against a good Bears defense.

Then the fourth quarter happened and the 22-year-old took it to another level.

Down 17-6 he led the Vikings to 15 unanswered points with two passing touchdowns to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones. All of a sudden the Vikings had life.

McCarthy was taken in the first round of last year’s draft but missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus. The Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell rode with Sam Darnold and won a staggering 14 games.

However, they chose to let Darnold walk this past offseason and let their first round QB shine.

Former NFL offensive lineman turned analyst Geoff Schwartz noted how abysmal McCarthy and the Minnesota offense had been all night long before they picked it up in the fourth.

“This feels like the worst case scenario tonight for the Vikings offense,” Schwartz wrote on X.

“Obviously backup LT is having a rough game which doesn’t help.”

More to come…