J.J. McCarthy returns in Vikings preseason game after rookie season-ending injury
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy takes a snap during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Saturday, Aug. 9, in Minneapolis.
Matt Krohn | AP
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: JJ McCarthy's back in the game. The Vikings quarterback took to the field at US Bank Stadium Saturday, a year after he tore his meniscus. And the injury ended his rookie season. He said at a press conference this weekend that it felt unbelievable to compete again.
JJ MCCARTHY: Had a little teardrop, not going to lie, being out there right before the national anthem. Just, this game is the best game in the world. And to be out there with this kind of group and this coaching staff, it was absolutely terrific.
NINA MOINI: McCarthy played for only the beginning of the game. He completed his first four passes, and the Vikings beat the Houston Texans 20 to 10, in the first game of the preseason. So joining me now to talk about it are our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hey, guys.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday.
ERIC NELSON: Nina, how are you?
NINA MOINI: I'm doing well. Great to be back with you guys. I had a couple weeks off, and I was obviously not paying attention to anything in the world of sports. So I want to know--
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Wait a minute!
NINA MOINI: I wait for you guys on Mondays. Wally, how did the Vikings look? They won.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they won the football game. And it's preseason. And I think for the fans, it's kind of hard to pull anything from it because the games, for the fans, anyway, and in the standings, they don't mean anything. It's basically a chance to get guys used to playing against another team instead of just practicing against each other. I think that that's one big thing.
And obviously there's a lot of guys that are trying to make the squad. That's other thing. As you mentioned with JJ McCarthy, he got to start. He got to play. He was one of four quarterbacks that the Vikings had in the game.
They won 20 to 10. And McCarthy, he played 12 plays, led the Vikings on a drive that ended in a field goal. He was 4 for 7. So he threw seven passes. Four of them were caught for 30 yards. He actually ran for 8 yards as well.
And call this the silver lining. He played and didn't get hurt. Last year, as you mentioned, that torn meniscus, he was for the year. So that's the good news.
I think the other good news is what they saw out of Sam Howell. The former Washington quarterback played the rest of the first half. He was 11 for 13. He threw for 105 yards. He scored a touchdown, ran one in. Their thirdstring quarterback, Brett Rypien, he was unimpressive.
But get this. Former golfer Max Brosmer came in, and he had a good showing. He played the latter part of the game. He was 5 for 47 yards, and he threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Myles Price. So I'd say all in all, it's a positive walk away for the Vikings. Obviously they have more to go.
This is preseason football. It doesn't mean that much. Justin Jefferson didn't play. Aaron Jones didn't play. Christian Darrisaw didn't play. So those are three key offensive players. But they had most of the guys in there.
But Viking fans, just take it easy because we know how this usually ends. It's kind of like Gilligan's Island. We don't know how it's going to end. We never seem to get off the island of not winning a Super Bowl, so just take it one week at a time, I'd say.
NINA MOINI: Eric, what's next for the Vikings? Do you have a more positive outlook than that or no?
[LAUGHTER]
ERIC NELSON: Well, I've seen a lot of purple paint in my days, Nina, so I reluctantly agree with Wally. But what's next? And it is a league that is always about what's next. Well, it's the New England Patriots. That'll be a noon kickoff at US Bank Stadium, or as I call it, the House of Noise.
But before that, the Patriots and Vikings are going to get to know each other very well this week, as they stage joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Now, these scrimmages will probably be more intense than the actual game. Case in point, last week, New England and Washington had joint practices in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and things boiled over as there was a mini brawl--
NINA MOINI: Oh, wow!
ERIC NELSON: --the Patriots' head coach, Mike Vrabel, tried to break up. And he came away with his face all bloodied. Now, Vrabel's a former linebacker for New England, so this is probably literally in his DNA to go out there and hit some people. But the fans going to these joint sessions out there in Eagan this week will see a couple of guys who spent time in Minnesota.
How about center Garrett Bradbury and wide receiver Stefon Diggs? Both of them now play for New England. Bradbury was drafted in the first round by the purple in 2019, signed with the Patriots earlier this year. Diggs, you may remember him.
NINA MOINI: I do.
ERIC NELSON: He was one half of the Minneapolis Miracle catching that TD throw from Case Keenum against New Orleans in a playoff game. He played for the Vikings from 2015 through 2019. Now, the Patriots, they're not the Patriots of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They've struggled in recent years, but they did win their preseason opener against the Commanders 48 to 14.
And oh, by the way, the cheapest ticket for the game on Saturday right now on the secondary market going for $19. So that's right in your wheelhouse, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, just about.
[LAUGHS]
Well, so from a brawl at this preseason game, let's switch gears to the Twins. They've won two series since the team traded away nearly 40% of its Major League roster, causing more outraged fans. Did this weekend change your thinking on the Twins at all, Wally?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Boy, it's hard to say it didn't. They took two out of three against the first-place Tigers. Then they took two out of three against the third-place Kansas City Royals. So you got to like what you see, particularly from these young guys.
Luke Keaschall yesterday hits a game-winning home run in the 11th inning. They call it a walk off when you hit a home run and the other team doesn't get to bat again. That ends the game. And he has now opened his career with an 11-game hitting streak. So he has gotten a hit in every game of his career.
He's reached base 24 times. That's a Twins record. He has produced 12 runs batted in, in his first 12 games, another team record. He's hitting 415. He was 3 for 5 yesterday. So kind of fun to see this 22-year-old kid doing these type of things with the Twins.
And let's be clear here. He was part of the team earlier this season but had an injury and sat out for a couple of months, comes back now, and basically picking up where he left off. So it's been a good run. And oh, by the way, they got a home run from another guy, another unsuspecting character, Ryan Fitzgerald. He played 708 minor league games over eight years, finally getting a chance.
His first Major League hit was a home run yesterday. So a 31-year-old guy getting a chance, that's a big deal. It really is exciting.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, I'm really happy for him. So we've got some outraged fans in the football world and the baseball world. Let's talk about the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty. They faced off again yesterday. Both teams, though, were missing players due to some injuries. How'd it go, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: It went very well for the Lynx. They won it 83 to 71. They rolled to the victory. The game was played in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. And Minnesota was minus their MVP candidate and All-Star Napheesa Collier. She's out with a knee injury. But Kayla McBride stepped up, scoring 18 points. And the newcomer, acquired in a trade last week, Dijonai Carrington, chipped in with 15 for the Lynx.
And it was probably a bittersweet return to the Barclays Center because it's Minnesota's first trip to that venue since losing to New York in game five of the 2024 WNBA finals, a loss that the Lynx feel like they really got ripped off by the officiating.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, a sore spot, yeah.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, no doubt. But Minnesota's been a juggernaut all year, Nina. Lynx now 27 and 5. That's the top record in the WNBA. Lynx are 6 and 1/2 games in front of second-place Atlanta and New York. And they've got some time off. They don't play again until Saturday, when they host the Liberty in Minneapolis at 1:00 PM.
The game is on CBS. And how about this, Lynx and Vikings basically going head to head Saturday, downtown Minneapolis. You can get into the Vikings for under $20. The Lynx ticket, the cheapest is $121.
NINA MOINI: Oh, that's fascinating!
ERIC NELSON: So how about the WNBA splitting the NFL?
NINA MOINI: I love that you have all these prices for us. It's like a consumer segment too. Thank you guys so much. Wally and Eric, appreciate you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: All right. Thanks, Nina.
JJ MCCARTHY: Had a little teardrop, not going to lie, being out there right before the national anthem. Just, this game is the best game in the world. And to be out there with this kind of group and this coaching staff, it was absolutely terrific.
NINA MOINI: McCarthy played for only the beginning of the game. He completed his first four passes, and the Vikings beat the Houston Texans 20 to 10, in the first game of the preseason. So joining me now to talk about it are our sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Hey, guys.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Happy Monday, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday.
ERIC NELSON: Nina, how are you?
NINA MOINI: I'm doing well. Great to be back with you guys. I had a couple weeks off, and I was obviously not paying attention to anything in the world of sports. So I want to know--
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Wait a minute!
NINA MOINI: I wait for you guys on Mondays. Wally, how did the Vikings look? They won.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, they won the football game. And it's preseason. And I think for the fans, it's kind of hard to pull anything from it because the games, for the fans, anyway, and in the standings, they don't mean anything. It's basically a chance to get guys used to playing against another team instead of just practicing against each other. I think that that's one big thing.
And obviously there's a lot of guys that are trying to make the squad. That's other thing. As you mentioned with JJ McCarthy, he got to start. He got to play. He was one of four quarterbacks that the Vikings had in the game.
They won 20 to 10. And McCarthy, he played 12 plays, led the Vikings on a drive that ended in a field goal. He was 4 for 7. So he threw seven passes. Four of them were caught for 30 yards. He actually ran for 8 yards as well.
And call this the silver lining. He played and didn't get hurt. Last year, as you mentioned, that torn meniscus, he was for the year. So that's the good news.
I think the other good news is what they saw out of Sam Howell. The former Washington quarterback played the rest of the first half. He was 11 for 13. He threw for 105 yards. He scored a touchdown, ran one in. Their thirdstring quarterback, Brett Rypien, he was unimpressive.
But get this. Former golfer Max Brosmer came in, and he had a good showing. He played the latter part of the game. He was 5 for 47 yards, and he threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Myles Price. So I'd say all in all, it's a positive walk away for the Vikings. Obviously they have more to go.
This is preseason football. It doesn't mean that much. Justin Jefferson didn't play. Aaron Jones didn't play. Christian Darrisaw didn't play. So those are three key offensive players. But they had most of the guys in there.
But Viking fans, just take it easy because we know how this usually ends. It's kind of like Gilligan's Island. We don't know how it's going to end. We never seem to get off the island of not winning a Super Bowl, so just take it one week at a time, I'd say.
NINA MOINI: Eric, what's next for the Vikings? Do you have a more positive outlook than that or no?
[LAUGHTER]
ERIC NELSON: Well, I've seen a lot of purple paint in my days, Nina, so I reluctantly agree with Wally. But what's next? And it is a league that is always about what's next. Well, it's the New England Patriots. That'll be a noon kickoff at US Bank Stadium, or as I call it, the House of Noise.
But before that, the Patriots and Vikings are going to get to know each other very well this week, as they stage joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Now, these scrimmages will probably be more intense than the actual game. Case in point, last week, New England and Washington had joint practices in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and things boiled over as there was a mini brawl--
NINA MOINI: Oh, wow!
ERIC NELSON: --the Patriots' head coach, Mike Vrabel, tried to break up. And he came away with his face all bloodied. Now, Vrabel's a former linebacker for New England, so this is probably literally in his DNA to go out there and hit some people. But the fans going to these joint sessions out there in Eagan this week will see a couple of guys who spent time in Minnesota.
How about center Garrett Bradbury and wide receiver Stefon Diggs? Both of them now play for New England. Bradbury was drafted in the first round by the purple in 2019, signed with the Patriots earlier this year. Diggs, you may remember him.
NINA MOINI: I do.
ERIC NELSON: He was one half of the Minneapolis Miracle catching that TD throw from Case Keenum against New Orleans in a playoff game. He played for the Vikings from 2015 through 2019. Now, the Patriots, they're not the Patriots of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They've struggled in recent years, but they did win their preseason opener against the Commanders 48 to 14.
And oh, by the way, the cheapest ticket for the game on Saturday right now on the secondary market going for $19. So that's right in your wheelhouse, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, just about.
[LAUGHS]
Well, so from a brawl at this preseason game, let's switch gears to the Twins. They've won two series since the team traded away nearly 40% of its Major League roster, causing more outraged fans. Did this weekend change your thinking on the Twins at all, Wally?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Boy, it's hard to say it didn't. They took two out of three against the first-place Tigers. Then they took two out of three against the third-place Kansas City Royals. So you got to like what you see, particularly from these young guys.
Luke Keaschall yesterday hits a game-winning home run in the 11th inning. They call it a walk off when you hit a home run and the other team doesn't get to bat again. That ends the game. And he has now opened his career with an 11-game hitting streak. So he has gotten a hit in every game of his career.
He's reached base 24 times. That's a Twins record. He has produced 12 runs batted in, in his first 12 games, another team record. He's hitting 415. He was 3 for 5 yesterday. So kind of fun to see this 22-year-old kid doing these type of things with the Twins.
And let's be clear here. He was part of the team earlier this season but had an injury and sat out for a couple of months, comes back now, and basically picking up where he left off. So it's been a good run. And oh, by the way, they got a home run from another guy, another unsuspecting character, Ryan Fitzgerald. He played 708 minor league games over eight years, finally getting a chance.
His first Major League hit was a home run yesterday. So a 31-year-old guy getting a chance, that's a big deal. It really is exciting.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, I'm really happy for him. So we've got some outraged fans in the football world and the baseball world. Let's talk about the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty. They faced off again yesterday. Both teams, though, were missing players due to some injuries. How'd it go, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: It went very well for the Lynx. They won it 83 to 71. They rolled to the victory. The game was played in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. And Minnesota was minus their MVP candidate and All-Star Napheesa Collier. She's out with a knee injury. But Kayla McBride stepped up, scoring 18 points. And the newcomer, acquired in a trade last week, Dijonai Carrington, chipped in with 15 for the Lynx.
And it was probably a bittersweet return to the Barclays Center because it's Minnesota's first trip to that venue since losing to New York in game five of the 2024 WNBA finals, a loss that the Lynx feel like they really got ripped off by the officiating.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, a sore spot, yeah.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, no doubt. But Minnesota's been a juggernaut all year, Nina. Lynx now 27 and 5. That's the top record in the WNBA. Lynx are 6 and 1/2 games in front of second-place Atlanta and New York. And they've got some time off. They don't play again until Saturday, when they host the Liberty in Minneapolis at 1:00 PM.
The game is on CBS. And how about this, Lynx and Vikings basically going head to head Saturday, downtown Minneapolis. You can get into the Vikings for under $20. The Lynx ticket, the cheapest is $121.
NINA MOINI: Oh, that's fascinating!
ERIC NELSON: So how about the WNBA splitting the NFL?
NINA MOINI: I love that you have all these prices for us. It's like a consumer segment too. Thank you guys so much. Wally and Eric, appreciate you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: All right. Thanks, Nina.
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