JJ McCarthy’s NFL debut on Monday Night Football looked headed for disaster. For three quarters against the Chicago Bears , the rookie quarterback struggled with the speed of the game, capped off by a brutal mistake—a third-quarter pick-six that cornerback Nahshon Wright took 74 yards to the house. That play gave Chicago a 17-6 lead, and the Vikings looked finished.

But when the game appeared out of reach, McCarthy flipped the script. Entering the fourth quarter with just 85 total yards of offense, the rookie decides to take command. He delivered two touchdown passes—including a strike to Justin Jefferson —and capped the rally with a rushing touchdown of his own. He erased the 11-point deficit and turned it into a 27-24 win. So what was the exact turning point that reversed t

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