Vikings ground game gives McCarthy's debut a late and vital boost in opening victory vs. Bears

Audio By Carbonatix

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — For all the mastery of passing-play design and quarterback development the Minnesota Vikings have benefited from since Kevin O'Connell became head coach, even he has long realized how vital a vastly improved running game is toward their status as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The final stretch of their season-opening comeback victory in Chicago featured the perfect blueprint.

Not lost in quarterback J.J. McCarthy's headline-making finish after a rocky start to his NFL debut was the role of the rushing attack during those three touchdown drives in the 27-24 victory on Monday night.

The first five runs by the Vikings in the fourth quarter netted 58 yards, beginning with back-to-back bursts by Jordan Mason for 7 and 18 yards after a missed field goal by the Bears gave them the ball at their 40, trailing 17-6. Aaron Jones started the next possession with a 9-yard rush and, maintaining the running-backs-still-matter theme, finished it with a 27-yard touchdown reception. The last score, fittingly, was a 14-yard keeper by McCarthy off a read-option fake to Mason on third-and-1.

Jones and Mason each got a game ball from O’Connell. After the Vikings totaled a woeful 85 yards while failing to convert all eight third downs and managing just two field goals on their first nine drives, they had 169 yards in the fourth quarter while going 3 for 4 on third downs and rushing 13 times for 82 yards. That's exactly why they brought Jones back at age 30, acquired Mason in a trade with San Francisco and aggressively tried to upgrade the interior of the offensive line.

“Because of the crowd noise and you’re trying to avoid third-and-longs as much as possible, I probably should have ran the football more in the first half. That’s where I’ve got to grow and get better as well," O'Connell said. "As a staff and as a collective group, we really honed in on some things that we wanted to get done. And that efficiency set up a lot of things and allowed us to make some plays in the pass game. But having Jordan’s physicality with Aaron being as fresh as we could, and keeping him as a weapon in the pass game, came together in a way we needed it the most.”

The defensive front was as disruptive as advertised, with newcomer Javon Hargrave leading the way inside with two sacks. Though Bears quarterback Caleb Williams used his exceptional speed to scamper for three first downs and one touchdown among six rushing attempts, the pass rush generated by the Vikings forced those decisions.

McCarthy had two delay-of-game penalties, though on the second one he was frantically clapping his hands to get center Ryan Kelly to snap the ball.

Backup linebacker Eric Wilson was a low-key free agent signing, but he made a strong impact on Monday. He blocked a punt and made a jarring tackle at the 25-yard line to stop Devin Duvernay's kickoff return.

After Blake Cashman was sidelined by a hamstring injury in the third quarter, Wilson took over the defensive huddle and finished with one tackle for loss among his three stops. Wilson started his career with the Vikings as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and spent four seasons with the club before leaving. He played the past three years with rival Green Bay.

“You want to see a prototype of a veteran guy that helps your football team win by any means necessary, it’s Eric Wilson,” O'Connell said. “Fired up that we have him.”

The unproductive start by the offense had many more culprits than just McCarthy. His wide receivers, with Jordan Addison starting his three-game suspension, didn't give him much help. Jefferson had a low third down throw slip through his hands, forcing the Vikings to settle for a field goal in the second quarter. On the next drive, Jefferson ran a third down underneath route short of the sticks and was unable to dive forward for a first down after the catch. Adam Thielen dropped a third-and-2 pass in the third quarter.

Cashman's status will be the primary health concern this week, particularly with one fewer day to recover. He was scheduled for an MRI exam on Tuesday. Cornerback Jeff Okudah was placed in the concussion protocol after getting banged up on the final play.

Listed as questionable to play, left tackle Christian Darrisaw was held out to give his knee more time. He's about 10 months out from reconstructive ACL surgery. Newcomer Justin Skule had a rough night in his place. Safety Harrison Smith didn't make the trip, still recovering from a personal health matter.

3 — McCarthy became the first quarterback in NFL history to account for three fourth-quarter touchdowns in his debut. He was also the first starting quarterback with a fourth-quarter comeback victory from 10-plus points down in his first NFL game since Steve Young in 1985.

McCarthy will surely receive a raucous welcome for his regular-season home debut, against Atlanta on Sunday night in another prime-time game. With Cincinnati due on Sept. 21, the Vikings have opponents coming to U.S. Bank Stadium in consecutive weeks that each ranked in the bottom 10 in the NFL in 2024 in total defense and scoring defense.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL