J.J. McCarthy is back.
In his first game action since the 2024 preseason opener, the Vikings quarterback took 12 snaps against the Texans.
The drive ended with a field goal, giving the Vikings a 3-0 lead.
McCarthy completed four of seven passes for 30 yards, with four targets (three catches) going to receiver Jordan Addison.
The second-year signal-caller also ran for eight yards on fourth and four from Houston’s 43.
McCarthy missed all of 2024 with a knee injury that happened in the preseason opener against the Raiders — even if it wasn’t obvious when it occurred.
“I love the fact that we were able to, you know, execute [and] hit an explosive [play] in the [play-action passing] game,” coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters after the game. “I love the fact that we converted some third downs. I love the fact that on the fourth down, he used his legs. . . . And I think there’s just a level of composure and poise to how he ran the show, that was exactly what I was looking for, and now we go back to work.”
And the work culminates 30 days from now, in the Week 1 finale on Monday night at the Bears.
“It’s obviously a checkpoint for our whole team, but clearly, J.J., as we got a chance to kind of have our first chance since last year — headset communication and real-time play clock, you know, all of us coaches on the sideline, him running the show, and I thought he did a really, really nice job of that, and, you know, would have loved to play him all day long, but wanted to have him in there with some of the guys he’s going to be in there with and did not want to play that full group very long with such significant work coming up on Wednesday and Thursday.”
The Vikings will spend Wednesday and Thursday practicing with the Patriots. Next Saturday, they’ll host the Pats for the second game of the preseason.
The news for Vikings receiver and punt returner Rondale Moore is not expected to be good.
After Saturday’s preseason opener, Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Moore suffered a “pretty significant” injury to his left knee during a first-half punt return.
Via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, O’Connell added that the play had “some characteristics” of a hip-drop tackle. O’Connell said he plans to seek more clarity on the issue.
Moore, the 49th overall pick in the 2021 draft, spent three seasons with the Cardinals before being traded to the Falcons. He missed all of the 2024 season due to a knee injury suffered in training camp.
Moore was listed as the No. 1 punt returner on the team’s initial depth chart for 2025. Lucky Jackson is No. 2 at the position.
The injury also impacts the offense, given that starting receiver Jordan Addison will miss the first three games of the regular season, due to a suspension.
Moore had signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Vikings.
Rondale Moore can’t catch a break.
Moore, who didn’t play last season with a knee injury, was injured with 10:30 remaining in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against Houston. He returned a Tommy Townsend punt 2 yards before Texans linebacker Jamal Hill tackled him along the sideline.
Moore did not get up.
He required a cart to get off the field, unable to put any weight on his left leg.
Moore slammed the cart in frustration and wore a towel over his head as teammates wished him well.
Last August, he was carted off the practice field while with the Falcons after injuring his right knee in a joint practice with the Dolphins. Moore spent the season on injured reserve and then signed with the Vikings in the offseason.
The Cardinals selected Moore in the second round of the 2021 draft, and he played his first three seasons in Arizona. Moore made 135 receptions for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns. He added a rushing touchdown.
Moore has appeared in 39 games with 23 starts.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell says last year’s 14-3 season was a big step toward getting the franchise where it wants to go. Now it’s time to take the next step.
“As I told our team when we came back to training camp, I think the foundation has been set,” O’Connell said on NFL Network. “A lot of the players we’ve been able to sign in free agency or draft, they’re here and they understand that they’re now part of building that up to even greater heights.”
To O’Connell, greater heights means a Super Bowl.
“The next step for this organization is becoming, in my opinion, championship-worthy,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell said the Vikings tune out outside noise, noting that last season, few saw his team finishing with 14 wins.
“At this point last year, people were talking about that 14-win team like we could have the first pick in the draft,” O’Connell said.
Through three seasons as the Vikings’ head coach, O’Connell has a solid 34-17 record in the regular season, but he’s 0-2 in the playoffs. Winning in the postseason is the next step.
Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson’s absence from practice turned out to be a brief one.
Hockenson exited Saturday’s workout and sat out of Monday’s practice with what head coach Kevin O’Connell said was to his “hip, leg, back -- whatever you want to classify it at.” O’Connell didn’t get any more specific at a Wednesday press conference, but he did say that Hockenson would do some work in practice later in the day.
The Vikings are still practicing without wide receiver Justin Jefferson due to a hamstring injury and they learned of Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension on Tuesday, so a healthy Hockenson is a plus for the passing game in Minnesota.
O’Connell also said that center Ryan Kelly will take part in the walkthrough Wednesday with an eye on practicing Thursday. Kelly is dealing with an elbow injury.
