J.J. McCarthy made Minnesota Vikings fans wait, wait, and wait some more on his debut.

The second-year quarterback, who missed every game of his rookie NFL season through injury, looked to be sinking for three quarters against the Chicago Bears.

McCarthy struggled for three quarters before inspiring a Vikings comeback in Week 1Credit: Getty
Under the bright, prime time Monday night lights, the Vikings offense struggled to six points, five first downs and just 85 yards through much of action.

McCarthy also threw an interception that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown, as Chicago took a commanding 11-point lead coming out of halftime at the under threat Soldier Field.

But in the fourth quarter, the 22-year-old signal-caller exploded.

McCarthy, buoyed by his secret ‘alter-ego’ and and trademark warpaint, threw for two touchdowns and added another score on the ground as the Vikings put up 21 unanswered points and rallied for a 27-24 win.

How Minnesota fight back was planted in locker room at halftime

It was a comeback for the ages that left the Bears, and plenty of fans, stunned.

But it was one predicted by the Vikings and their head coach in the locker room at the interval.

“I told him at halftime, ‘You are going to bring us back to win this game,’ and the look in his eye was fantastic,” Kevin O’Connell said of McCarthy on Monday night.

“The best thing is just the belief I felt from the team and unit.

“Ultimately, that doesn’t get done without him in the second half — two passing touchdowns and the critical rushing touchdown at the end.”

In a few short sentences, O’Connell hammered home the belief he has in his young quarterback, who also offered words of encouragement to his teammates before he inspired a memorable fight back.

McCarthy scored three touchdowns as the Vikings rallied in the fourth quarterCredit: Getty

Head coach O’Connell offered a message of support at halftime with the team trailingCredit: Getty
Now, with Minnesota set for a Sunday night Week 2 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium, there is belief that this is just the beginning.

As the dust settled on a ‘movie script’ McCarthy-led comeback, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave exclusively told talkSPORT the Vikings have set their sights on Super Bowl LX.

McCarthy comeback can be catalyst for Vikings Super Bowl glory

“I mean, you just can’t say it enough. Just to go through what he went through, and come out there in the fourth quarter and put on a show,” Hargrave said of McCarthy.

“He won Player of the Week. That’s just a story in itself, like some kind of movie script, how that thing went on Monday night for his first NFL game.

“I was definitely very impressed, because a lot of times when things aren’t going your way, you know people get down on themselves, can be negative.

“But he was one of the people being positive, even after the pick-6, just trying to lift everybody up.

McCarthy remained calm as he led the Vikings to a big comeback win

Hargrave believes the fight back can be a catalyst for Minnesota’s Super Bowl runCredit: Getty
“I was excited to see it and I just looked up, and we were up by 10. I still don’t know what happened.”

While Hargrave is still unsure exactly how the Vikings pulled off their epic comeback, one thing is for certain — with both McCarthy and O’Connell setting the tone, they have a ‘big chance’ of making next February’s Super Bowl.

“He definitely encouraged us too,” Hargrave said of Coach O’Connell’s role in Monday’s fourth-quarter resurgence.

“When you’ve got so many talented people around you, everybody isn’t just going to dump on everybody because things aren’t going the right way.

VIKINGS FIRST SIX GAMES

Check out the first six games of Minnesota’s schedule here

Week 1 – @ Chicago Bears W 27-24
Week 2 – vs Atlanta Falcons
Week 3 – vs Cincinnati Bengals
Week 4 – @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin, Ireland)
Week 5 – @ Cleveland Browns (London, England)
Week 6 – BYE

“Everybody is just encouraging everybody. That’s why I think we’ve got a big chance.”