Sports
McCarthy delivers in debut, leads Vikings’ rally
CHICAGO — Everyone in the Minnesota Vikings locker room had their own favorite J.J. McCarthy moment of the night. And in the end, they all added up to a thrilling 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave recalled McCarthy telling him that “he’s got us” as the team trudged off the field at halftime, trailing by four points after an anemic offensive showing. Coach Kevin O’Connell noted the “unbelievable look” in McCarthy’s eyes as the Vikings launched into a fourth-quarter comeback, with McCarthy accounting for three touchdowns.
After McCarthy had an interception returned for a touchdown early in the third quarter, right tackle Brian O’Neill listened intently as McCarthy — a 22-year-old quarterback making his NFL debut — spoke to players on the sideline.
“He believed that it was about to pop,” O’Neill said. “There’s a lot of times where you’re like, ‘Yeah, all right, cool. Let’s go, whatever.’ But the conviction in his voice and how he was walking up and down the sideline talking to everybody, little details about different plays, getting guys locked in in the huddle. It was really cool to see.”
And running back Aaron Jones Sr., whose 27-yard touchdown reception gave the Vikings their first lead with 9 minutes, 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, recalled seven words McCarthy used once in the huddle: “Is there any place you’d rather be?”
McCarthy’s previous competitive football game was on Jan. 8, 2024, when he was playing for the college football national championship at the University of Michigan. In the ensuing 609 days, he was the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft by the Vikings and then sat out his rookie season because of a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Vikings committed to him as their 2025 starter as they bid farewell to veterans Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, both of whom finished 2024 on their roster, and passed on an opportunity to sign free agent Aaron Rodgers. Early Monday night, though, McCarthy looked like a quarterback who wasn’t ready to assume the mantle.
He managed only 48 passing yards in the first half, and the Vikings didn’t convert a third down until his 13-yard touchdown pass to receiver Justin Jefferson with 12:13 left in the game. That cut an 11-point deficit to a 17-12 score, and McCarthy went on to throw his scoring strike to Jones and score himself on a 14-yard run with 2:53 left.
In all, McCarthy completed 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards. In the process, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to account for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of his NFL debut. He also joined Steve Young as the only quarterbacks in the past 45 years to overcome a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter of their debut and win.
McCarthy grew up in La Grange Park, outside of Chicago, and said he largely blocked out the cheers and jeers Bears fans subjected him to. Instead, he leaned on his experience in the semifinals of the 2022 College Football Playoff — when he had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a 51-45 loss to TCU.
“You never want to earn wisdom that way,” he said, “but it just brought me straight back to TCU when I had that first one early on in the game and then the second one later and at the end of the day. It sucks. It’s one of the worst things you could do as a quarterback, but you can’t do anything about it. You got to focus on the next play. The defense kept us in it the whole time, so it was just on our shoulders to go out there and execute and play as one and move on from that. That’s one of those things I don’t really hang on. And I was really grateful the way coach O’Connell handled it and was everyone on the same page.”
Jefferson said last week that McCarthy’s college career gave him confidence that, despite an uneven training camp, he would perform well when needed. McCarthy is now 64-3 in games that his team starts, dating to his sophomore year in high school.
“We knew he had that dog in him,” Jefferson said.
The Vikings have tried to build a support system around McCarthy to reduce the likelihood that he would have to carry the team late in a game. O’Connell leaned heavily on tailback Jordan Mason, who rushed for 54 yards in the second half, and the Vikings got strong play from their defense and special teams all game.
“But,” O’Connell said, “there’s no way to deny that we don’t win this game unless J.J. plays the way he did in the second half, and most importantly kept the belief of his football team behind him. And now we know it’s possible. So we hope to not be in these circumstances very often, but his team’s made of the right stuff.”
ATLANTA — Anna Moesch won the first NCAA individual title of her career in the 200-yard freestyle on Thursday night at the women’s swimming and diving championships to help Virginia add to its team lead.
Moesch’s time of 1:39.23 marked the second fastest performance in the event, just shy of Missy Franklin’s 11-year-old record.
Moesch also helped Virginia claim a third relay title in the competition with a 1:24.11 in the 200 freestyle. It was the fifth straight year Virginia won the event.
Virginia sits in first place with 249 points heading into the third day of the four-day competition. Texas is second with 183 points and Stanford third with 173.
Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske clocked a 48.49 to win the 100 butterfly for her third career national title. Huske edged Virginia’s Claire Curzan after finishing second last season. The top three swimmers finished under 50 seconds, with Huske’s Stanford teammate, Gigi Johnson, coming in fourth.
Bella Sims led wire-to-wire in the 400 IM for Michigan’s first individual NCAA title since Maggie MacNeil in 2021. It was also the first gold in the event by a Wolverine since Mindy Gehrs in 1993.
NC State’s Eneli Jefimova took the 100 breaststroke with the fastest time in program history.
Senior diver Chiara Pellacani defended her one-meter national title for Miami. Pellacani became the first diver to win multiple national titles in a Miami career since Brittany Viola (2008, 2011).
FIFA said Thursday that it would take no action on formal complaints by the Palestinian soccer federation in 2024 against its Israeli counterpart, including to suspend membership.
FIFA did, however, fine the Israel Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,000) on disciplinary charges relating to “discrimination and racist abuse,” plus “offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play.”
Palestinian soccer officials have long argued Israel violates FIFA statutes by letting teams from settlements in the West Bank play in the national league.
“FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law,” the soccer body said.
“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts,” said Infantino, who presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a specially created peace prize at the World Cup draw in December.
“[B]ut we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” he said.
The disciplinary investigation of Israeli soccer also was opened 18 months ago in response to formal complaints by the Palestinian federation.
One third of the fine must be spent by Israeli officials, FIFA ruled, on “implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents.”
“The plan shall be approved by FIFA and shall focus on the following areas: reforms, protocols, monitoring, and educational campaigns in stadiums and on official channels for an entire season,” FIFA judges decided.
The judges said they “cannot remain indifferent to the broader human context in which football operates” and the sport “must remain a platform for peace, dialogue, and mutual respect.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Venezuela defeated Team USA, 3-2, in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final Tuesday, and the game was historic in more ways than one.
Venezuela won its first-ever WBC title, and players flooded the field with emotion and pride as they celebrated the thrilling victory.
History was also made during the telecast when 10,784,000 viewers watched the final on FOX and FOX Deportes.
It became the most-watched WBC telecast of all time.
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Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews MVP Maikel Garcia of Venezuela and his translator after a 3-2 victory against the United States at loanDepot Park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
The telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers, while hitting its peak at 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET on FOX.
This number was up 128% from the Team USA-Japan WBC final on FS1 during the 2023 tournament, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to seal a third WBC win for his country.
While this game had all the thrills, the WBC turned out to be an exciting tournament from the very start with pool play.
Whether it was feel-good stories like Ondřej Satoria’s standing ovation from Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome during his final outing for Czechia or Italy’s espresso machine home run celebration, viewers from all over were tuning in to watch magic happen on the diamond.
Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews manager Omar López Team Venezuela after a 3-2 victory against the United States at loanDepot park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The tournament averaged 1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1 and FS2, making it the most-watched WBC in its 20-year history on English language networks.
It looked like Venezuela was going to shut out Team USA, which had just two hits and four base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning when Bryce Harper walked to the plate.
The game turned on its head when Harper belted a two-run homer to tie the game during the peak viewing window.
Venezuela, though, never blinked. Eugenio Suarez hit a rope to left-center field, scoring the game-winning run with a double.
Members of Team Venezuela celebrate with their gold medals after defeating the United States 3-2 at loanDepot Park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Daniel Palencia closed things out for Venezuela, sealing the win with a strikeout of Roman Anthony. The party ensued for Venezuela at loanDepot Park.
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