Minnesota Vikings top Giants 13-10 in preseason opener; Jamal Adams suffers injury
O'Connell: Jamal Adams' early exam 'doesn't look good'
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell discusses the team's 13-10 victory in its first preseason game, highlighting the running game, offensive line and several individual performances. O'Connell also provides preliminary injury updates, saying Jamal Adams' initial right knee exam "does not look good."
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their 2026 preseason with a win over the New York Giants, but lost veteran signee Jamal Adams in the process to an apparent knee injury.
Kyler Murray's short debut
What we know:
After being named starting quarterback this week, Kyler Murray played the first series of Saturday’s game against the Giants. Murray completed 2-of-3 passes for 10 yards, including an 8-yard third-down conversion to Jordan Addison along the right sideline. Giants head coach John Harbaugh, in his first game with New York, challenged the catch but the call stood.
Murray took most of his snaps under center, handing off three times each to running backs Aaron Jones, Sr., and Jordan Mason. He played behind the starting offensive line of Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Blake Brandel, Will Fries and Brian O'Neill.
McCarthy snaps:
J.J. McCarthy replaced Murray for the rest of the first half, completing 4-of-7 passes for 34 yards. The Vikings' second team struggled with penalties and faced a tough Giants defense, trailing 10-3 at halftime.
The Vikings’ offense showed flashes of promise during the opening series, but the team had trouble finding a consistent rhythm after Murray left the field. The second teams was also going up against many of the Giants starters who were kept in the game by new head coach John Harbaugh.
Jamal Adams leaves game with knee injury
The backstory:
The most concerning moment came when Jamal Adams suffered a right-knee injury, which appeared to be non-contact. Adams was carted to the locker room and did not return. After the game, O'Connell said the initial exams on Adams "did not look good."
"He was genuinely carving out a significant role for himself," said O'Connell. "He’s earned a lot of people’s respect in a very short amount of time."
What we don't know:
The full extent of Jamal Adams’ knee injury and how long he might be sidelined has not been confirmed.
The Source: Information in this story is from Vikings preseason coverage.