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Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy will play in preseason opener [RAW]
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with reporters ahead of Monday night's training camp practice at TCO Stadium, and confirmed J.J. McCarthy will play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium.
EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings are hosting their annual training camp night practice Monday at TCO Stadium.
J.J. McCarthy will play for Vikings Saturday
What we know:
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell revealed before the workout J.J. McCarthy will play in Minnesota’s preseason opener on Saturday against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. It’ll be the first game action for McCarthy since his preseason debut last year against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In that game, he threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns before his season ended with a knee injury.
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J.J. McCarthy under the microscope at Vikings training camp
As Vikings training camp continues in Eagan, all eyes are J.J. McCarthy with every pass he throws, good or bad. Sunday night on FOX 9 Sports Now, Pete Bercich of the Vikings Radio Network joined Jim Rich to talk about McCarthy's progress, and if he should play in Saturday's preseason game.
What we don't know:
How much McCarthy plays Saturday remains in question. That likely depends on how many offensive snaps the Vikings get early on.
What they're saying:
"We’ve got that plan in place, I have not talked to him about it. I do plan on playing J.J.," O’Connell said.
Will McCarthy play against the Patriots?
Why you should care:
O’Connell said it’s less likely McCarthy plays in the Vikings’ second preseason game against the New England Patriots on Aug. 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings and Patriots will have joint practices at TCO Performance Center leading up to that game.
The goal would be for McCarthy to get enough work against the Patriots’ first-team defense to where he wouldn’t need to play in the second preseason game.
"You’d love to play him as much as possible, but with two days of joint practice, we’ll more than likely use those two days as our real days," O’Connell said.
Monday night practice
What's next:
O’Connell said tight end T.J. Hockenson, center Ryan Kelly and safety Josh Metellus will not practice Monday night in front of fans. All are dealing with minor injuries and are considered day-to-day.
The Vikings will practice in front of a sellout crowd at TCO Stadium, and players will be led to the field by girls flag football teams from Melrose and Eagan.