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J.J. McCarthy's fiancée went wild following his dramatic first win for the Vikings on Monday night.
McCarthy and Minnesota rallied from 17-6 down in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bears 27-24, as the 22-year-old quarterback led three touchdown drives down the stretch.
And following the impressive comeback, McCarthy's fiancée Katya Kuropas took to Instagram to praise her longtime partner.
Re-sharing a Vikings graphic that commemorated McCarthy's first NFL win, Kuropas wrote on her Instagram story: 'What a night!!' So proud of you. Keep showin em.'
The couple, who met at high school in Illinois, have been together for more than five years and announced back in May that they were expecting a baby boy in September.
J.J. McCarthy's fiancée Katya Kuropas was full of praise for him after his first win
She wrote that she was 'so proud' of McCarthy after he led Minnesota to a comeback victory
McCarthy and Kuropas (pictured) are childhood sweethearts and expecting their first child
Kuropas cheered McCarthy on as he led Michigan to a national championship win in early 2024, though his NFL debut got off to a rockier start in Chicago.
The Vikings didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter and McCarthy saw his team go down by two possessions when he threw a pick-six to Chicago's Nahshon Wright the quarter before.
Ultimately, though, McCarthy bounced back from his mistake with touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, as well as a 14-yard rushing touchdown himself.
He finished the game with 143 yards passing, three total touchdowns and one interception.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell also complimented his quarterback following the game.
'There's no way to deny, we don't win this game unless J.J. plays the way he did in the second half,' O'Connell said afterwards.
'Most importantly, he kept the belief of his football team behind him. Now, we know it's possible.'
McCarthy's road to his first NFL start was delayed by a torn meniscus suffered last year after the Vikings selected him No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
McCarthy led three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter as the Vikings won 27-24
Kuropas will hope that McCarthy can keep up his momentum this weekend vs. the Falcons
Head coach Kevin O'Connell was full of praise for his young quarterback after the game
As a result, he missed the entirety of his rookie season and watched from the sideline as Sam Darnold had a career year under center in Minnesota.
Ultimately, though, McCarthy was backed by the Vikings to be their quarterback of the future and re-paid their faith on Monday
'It's been a long journey,' McCarthy said after the Bears game.
'I think it's been 609 days, I think I saw since my last competitive football game, which was the national championship. So, it's been a while of being just in the training room, watching a lot of film, learning the playbook and trying to master that. At the end of the day, it's such a blessing to be an NFL football player and play in this league.'
He'll look to win his second NFL game on Sunday night as the Vikings host the Falcons.
