MINNEAPOLIS — For most of the Vikings’ 19-17 loss to Chicago on Sunday, J.J. McCarthy looked like a young quarterback whose confidence had cratered, out of sorts since the opening whistle.

On the Vikings’ first few drives, McCarthy overthrew Jordan Addison and threw behind Justin Jefferson on plays that would have moved the sticks. He later threw a pair of first-half interceptions, his seventh and eighth of the season, the first on an underthrown pass under duress that the Bears turned into three points.

Making his fifth NFL start on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, McCarthy looked tight, indecisive, crushed by expectations. Unready.

Whatever the Vikings expected McCarthy to be in his first NFL season, it was too much for a 22-year-old who missed his entire rookie season because of a knee i

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