McCarthy heads into home debut for Vikings in prime-time matchup against Penix, Falcons

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) J.J.

McCarthy finished his first game for the Minnesota Vikings with a flourish , refusing to let early struggles sidetrack his focus in the daunting environment of a night game on the road against a division rival.

He gets to play at home this time, with the hero's welcome that will surely be a part of it.

Extremely excited to hear that Skol chant, just feel that energy, that exuberant environment, McCarthy said, referencing the hands-over-heads clap Vikings fans have established as a rhythmic ritual that crescendos right before kickoff.

After rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field to beat the Chicago Bears 27-24 and commence their first season with McCarthy as the starting quarterback , the Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons in their home opener on Sunday night .

McCarthy, who had meniscus repair surgery on his right knee last year that kept him out for the entirety of his rookie season, has played in two exhibitions at U.S.

Bank Stadium, no-stakes games with nothing quite like the prime-time buzz that will encircle the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft when he first steps on the turf.

If playing his first NFL game in his hometown in the face of heckling from a loud crowd, an interception return for a Bears touchdown, and a total of 85 yards by the Vikings offense through three quarters didn't overwhelm McCarthy, well, the hype from a friendly atmosphere and a national audience for the league's biggest weekly showcase ought not to distract him.

It's definitely a lot quieter when we have the ball on offense.

That's something that's going to be great, to be able to operate clean and crisp where everyone knows what they're doing with no miscommunication, McCarthy said.

I'm definitely looking forward to a lot of things, just seeing the purple in the stands.

At the end of the day, it's going to be a lot of fun.

In between his road and home debuts, McCarthy had a far more eventful experience during the week.

He left the practice facility for the hospital on Thursday to be with his fiancee for the birth of their first child , a boy.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

is just slightly ahead of McCarthy on the NFL learning curve, entering his fifth career start.

Taken two spots ahead of McCarthy last year, only six weeks after the Falcons spent $100 million guaranteed in free agency on Kirk Cousins when the Vikings passed on bringing him back, Penix will take his turn on Sunday night playing in unfavorable conditions against a strong pass rush behind a loud crowd.

Penix replaced Cousins as the starter last season two weeks after Atlanta's 42-21 loss at Minnesota, which gave him a valuable sideline view of the unorthodox and versatile scheme that defensive coordinator Brian Flores employs.

They heated us up a lot last year, said Penix, who had 298 passing yards and totaled two touchdowns in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay.

We've just got to make sure we come out ready for anything that they can do.

Though it's ultimately no more than a storytelling angle for the NBC broadcast crew, the game also marks a rematch of sorts of the College Football Playoff national championship following the 2023 season, when McCarthy led Michigan to a 34-13 victory over Penix and Washington.

McCarthy and Penix got to know each other during the pre-draft training process last year.

He's a genuine guy, Penix said.

And a guy who can make football plays.

The admiration is mutual.

It's no surprise hes in the position that hes in right now.

Im just extremely excited to see him again and compete against him, McCarthy said.

Hes a great player, and its going to be a good test for our defense.

While the Falcons got their passing game going, they found little success on the ground .

Pro Bowler Bijan Robinson gained just 24 yards on 12 carries.

You dont want that first game to deter you as a player and as an offensive unit, Robinson said.

We expect something different, and we dont want that result ever again.

Not even two-time All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson was immune to mistakes for the Vikings during their rough start against the Bears, letting a third-down throw slip through his hands and running a route short of the sticks on a third-down pass he caught.

But Jefferson went low to snag McCarthy's first touchdown throw as a pro, pulling the Vikings within five points, and coach Kevin O'Connell said without prompting how proud he was of Jefferson's leadership and maturity.

This is a guy who expects to go out there and make a play every single play, and we werent necessarily doing the things across the board, myself included, to have the success that we wanted, O'Connell said.

Maybe at times, people want to see a Gatorade cooler thrown or a bench knocked over or something.

It was just about poise.

It was about understanding the things that were happening were as much to do with things we could correct by just doing our jobs a little bit better.

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