Vikings being season with return of quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy takes a snap during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans, Aug. 9, in Minneapolis.
Matt Krohn | AP
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NINA MOINI: It's a big night. Vikings season begins in Chicago. And it's a homecoming of sorts for quarterback JJ McCarthy. As a kid growing up in the Chicago suburbs, he was a Bears fan. In fact, the first NFL game he saw in person was the Bears versus Vikings at Soldier Field. The venue and the match-up will be the same tonight, when McCarthy plays his first regular season NFL game. An injury kept him out of play last year during his rookie season. Sports contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson join me now to talk more about what might be ahead for tonight's game. Hey there, guys.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: How are you?
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday to you guys. So, Wally, what are you going to be watching for tonight? That's kind of a cool backstory there at the Bears-Vikings game.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, I think you pretty much capsulized--
NINA MOINI: I did.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: --what most people will be watching for. What is JJ McCarthy going to do? How is he going to handle it? How is he going to handle regular season play? His health is not an issue now. He's fully recovered. And he played minimal amount of time during the preseason. And most starters don't play in the preseason now, in these preseason games. You get most of their reps, if you will, during practice and during training camp. So yeah, that's why the preseason games-- that's why we call them counterfeit football because you really don't see any of the regulars during the preseason anymore.
NINA MOINI: So they don't get injured? Or just so they don't get injured?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Exactly. That's exactly right. And especially with the quarterback position, it's such a pivotal part of your success or lack thereof during a football season, during the NFL season. So yeah, you see very of these guys, even a guy like JJ McCarthy, who came in as a rookie last year, got hurt in his first preseason game, and didn't play the rest of the preseason or the regular season, had to sit out. But the good news, I news, I think, is that he was around the team all season long. He was learning the offense. He was learning what it takes to be a pro. And I think that those are all going to be factors long term.
As for tonight, the Vikings swept the Bears. They won both games last year. They lead the all-time series, if that means anything, 68 to 58 with two ties. They won the first ever game. This is the Vikings' first ever victory was over the Chicago Bears back in 1961, 37 to 13. So here we are, 64 years later, and Vikings hoping to get off to a good start. And obviously, if you heard or watched any football yesterday, you know that the Green Bay Packers looked awfully good against the Detroit Lions.
NINA MOINI: Uh-oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So getting off to a good start, I think, is going to be important. They say that maybe not so much with an 18 game or 17 game season now. You have some time to come back. I'd say that they better get off to a good start because you just never know. Injury-wise just a couple of quick notes.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Harrison Smith is out, the longtime safety for the Vikings. He has been fighting an illness. He will not play. Still don't know about Christian Darrisaw, the offensive lineman. He is listed as questionable, so a couple of things there to keep an eye on for tonight's game, but no Harrison Smith tonight. It looks like Jalen Nailor, wide receiver, will play. But he is listed as questionable as well.
NINA MOINI: I bet JJ McCarthy is just itching to get out there, finally, and show what he can do.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Let's look at the other side of the field here, Eric. How are the Bears looking this game?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Nina, well, back in the day, the Bears were a powerhouse. And they were known as the monsters of the Midway. Now, Chicago is so bad, they are known as the Munsters of the Midway, as in Herman Munster. And he's the only guy who hasn't played quarterback for Chicago in the last 40 or 50 years because it's been a revolving door for the Bears at quarterback and at head coach.
The Bears have literally been the Bad News Bears. They were 5 and 12 last season, fourth place finish in the NFC North. And they have not been able to really find key people in key positions. And that would be quarterback and head coach. And they think this new young head coach, Ben Johnson, who has been the offensive coordinator at Detroit-- and last season, Johnson's Lions were an offensive juggernaut. They averaged 33 points per game, most in the NFL.
So Chicago is banking on Johnson's creativity and second year quarterback Caleb Williams, who came in the same draft class as JJ McCarthy in 2024, to return the Bears to prominence. So it's certainly something they're hoping for down there in Chi Town. But it's a wait and see approach. Minnesota, 33 and 37 all time in the Monday night spotlight. The Bears are 38 and 44, so neither team has a winning record on Monday night.
And, Nina, the Minnesota Vikings are desperately trying to get out of an exclusive NFL club. Every team that's in this club wants to escape. The Vikings are part of the Dirty Dozen. That's not the movie. This is real life. They're one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. Is this the season where Minnesota's finally going to bring home another Super Bowl trophy or a first Super Bowl trophy? Or will it be another chapter in the book of purple pain? We'll start to get some answers tonight on the Chicago lakefront, Vikings and Bears.
NINA MOINI: Wally, let's talk about the Twins, who had a win, hey, in Kansas City yesterday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes, their first win of September.
NINA MOINI: It's heartwarming, yeah. What happened?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they hit a couple of home runs. Byron Buxton hit his 30th home run. And oh, by the way, he becomes just the second Minnesota Twin to hit 30 home runs, or at least 30 home runs, and have at least 20 stolen bases in the same season. He has 21 stolen bases right now. And he hit his 30th home run yesterday. It's been a really good year for Byron Buxton. He's been on the field for the most part. He's battled injuries his entire career here as a Twin. But this by far has been his most successful season as far as health goes.
But yeah, they snap a five-game losing streak-- or a six-game losing streak, I should say. The bad news-- and I saw this stat yesterday that is kind of discouraging. It kind of gives you the feel for what's gone on with the Minnesota Twins. Since the All-Star break in mid-July, the Twins have the worst record in baseball. And that's worse than Colorado. The Rockies are terrible. They're on their way to maybe having one of the worst seasons in National League history. But the Twins have been worse since the All-Star break. They have the worst record in baseball. And that's not good.
But they did beat Kansas City yesterday, 5 to 1. Oh, by the way, Kody Clemens got a home run yesterday. And they got a win out of Bailey Ober for the first time-- he was the starting pitcher-- in four months. So that kind of tells the tale of the Minnesota Twins this year. They are taking on the Angels in Anaheim the next three nights.
NINA MOINI: Wow. So let's go back to football really quick, Eric, and check in on the U of M, on the Gophers. They're just a couple weeks into their season. How is that going?
ERIC NELSON: Well, Minnesota's 2 and 0. And that's the good news. They had a historic blowout win over Northwestern State of Louisiana on Saturday. Now, most of us think of Route 66 as that iconic road from Chicago to Santa Monica. But in Dinkytown, Route 66 has new meaning after the Gophers' 66 to 0 route over the Northwestern State Demons.
I've talked about these body bag games. This one qualifies as that. So the Demons get the six-figure check, and they're sent back to Louisiana in a body bag. And how bad was this blowout? There was severe weather, if you remember, Nina, on Saturday in the Twin Cities. They canceled this game with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter. In other words, they pulled the plug on Northwestern State and sent them back home.
NINA MOINI: Yikes.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. The Gophers-- hard to get a gauge on how good they are. Drake Lindsey-- limited action, one touchdown pass, their young quarterback. Grant Washington ran for 126 yards. We'll know a lot more right around midnight Saturday. Gophers take on Cal. So Minnesota's 2 and 0. California's 2 and 0. It's the Golden Gophers and the Golden Bears in Berkeley, clearly Minnesota's toughest game of the year so far.
Cal has convincing wins over Oregon State and Texas Southern this season. They've got a running back named Kendrick Raphael. He ran for 131 yards and had a touchdown in the Golden Bears win over Texas Southern. And if you're going to watch the game, you're going to have to stay up late, kick-off 9:30 PM Central from the place they call Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley.
NINA MOINI: Those are tough. I get it on the West Coast there.
ERIC NELSON: I know you'll be up.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I definitely won't. But let's finish out with the Lynx. I feel like we always end with the Lynx, and maybe because there's more good news there. But they're going to play their final game of the season Thursday against the WNBA's newest team, the Golden State Valkyries. And then on Sunday, the playoffs start. So what do we know about that, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Well, yeah, they've got two games left in the regular season. The playoffs, as you said, starts Sunday. Minnesota likely will play Golden State or Seattle, possibly Indiana in round one. Here's the key on Sunday-- the Minnesota Twins are home. The Minnesota Vikings are home that night.
NINA MOINI: Nice.
ERIC NELSON: And the Lynx are going to have a game. So I'm hoping the WNBA will put that game between the Twins and the Vikings, because you don't want to go head to head against the Vikings on NBC Sunday Night Football. So I'm lobbying for a 4:00 PM kickoff--
NINA MOINI: That'd be nice.
ERIC NELSON: --playoff game number one.
NINA MOINI: Wally and Eric, thank you guys so much as always for filling us in. Hope you have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You too, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That's our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. That is it for us today. Tomorrow, we're going to continue our series on looking at AI, artificial intelligence, and education. We're going to talk to a high school English teacher in St. Paul, and much more news ahead for you tomorrow at noon. Hope you'll join us again, and have a great rest of your Monday.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: How are you?
ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Happy Monday to you guys. So, Wally, what are you going to be watching for tonight? That's kind of a cool backstory there at the Bears-Vikings game.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, I think you pretty much capsulized--
NINA MOINI: I did.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: --what most people will be watching for. What is JJ McCarthy going to do? How is he going to handle it? How is he going to handle regular season play? His health is not an issue now. He's fully recovered. And he played minimal amount of time during the preseason. And most starters don't play in the preseason now, in these preseason games. You get most of their reps, if you will, during practice and during training camp. So yeah, that's why the preseason games-- that's why we call them counterfeit football because you really don't see any of the regulars during the preseason anymore.
NINA MOINI: So they don't get injured? Or just so they don't get injured?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Exactly. That's exactly right. And especially with the quarterback position, it's such a pivotal part of your success or lack thereof during a football season, during the NFL season. So yeah, you see very of these guys, even a guy like JJ McCarthy, who came in as a rookie last year, got hurt in his first preseason game, and didn't play the rest of the preseason or the regular season, had to sit out. But the good news, I news, I think, is that he was around the team all season long. He was learning the offense. He was learning what it takes to be a pro. And I think that those are all going to be factors long term.
As for tonight, the Vikings swept the Bears. They won both games last year. They lead the all-time series, if that means anything, 68 to 58 with two ties. They won the first ever game. This is the Vikings' first ever victory was over the Chicago Bears back in 1961, 37 to 13. So here we are, 64 years later, and Vikings hoping to get off to a good start. And obviously, if you heard or watched any football yesterday, you know that the Green Bay Packers looked awfully good against the Detroit Lions.
NINA MOINI: Uh-oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So getting off to a good start, I think, is going to be important. They say that maybe not so much with an 18 game or 17 game season now. You have some time to come back. I'd say that they better get off to a good start because you just never know. Injury-wise just a couple of quick notes.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Harrison Smith is out, the longtime safety for the Vikings. He has been fighting an illness. He will not play. Still don't know about Christian Darrisaw, the offensive lineman. He is listed as questionable, so a couple of things there to keep an eye on for tonight's game, but no Harrison Smith tonight. It looks like Jalen Nailor, wide receiver, will play. But he is listed as questionable as well.
NINA MOINI: I bet JJ McCarthy is just itching to get out there, finally, and show what he can do.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah.
NINA MOINI: Let's look at the other side of the field here, Eric. How are the Bears looking this game?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Nina, well, back in the day, the Bears were a powerhouse. And they were known as the monsters of the Midway. Now, Chicago is so bad, they are known as the Munsters of the Midway, as in Herman Munster. And he's the only guy who hasn't played quarterback for Chicago in the last 40 or 50 years because it's been a revolving door for the Bears at quarterback and at head coach.
The Bears have literally been the Bad News Bears. They were 5 and 12 last season, fourth place finish in the NFC North. And they have not been able to really find key people in key positions. And that would be quarterback and head coach. And they think this new young head coach, Ben Johnson, who has been the offensive coordinator at Detroit-- and last season, Johnson's Lions were an offensive juggernaut. They averaged 33 points per game, most in the NFL.
So Chicago is banking on Johnson's creativity and second year quarterback Caleb Williams, who came in the same draft class as JJ McCarthy in 2024, to return the Bears to prominence. So it's certainly something they're hoping for down there in Chi Town. But it's a wait and see approach. Minnesota, 33 and 37 all time in the Monday night spotlight. The Bears are 38 and 44, so neither team has a winning record on Monday night.
And, Nina, the Minnesota Vikings are desperately trying to get out of an exclusive NFL club. Every team that's in this club wants to escape. The Vikings are part of the Dirty Dozen. That's not the movie. This is real life. They're one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. Is this the season where Minnesota's finally going to bring home another Super Bowl trophy or a first Super Bowl trophy? Or will it be another chapter in the book of purple pain? We'll start to get some answers tonight on the Chicago lakefront, Vikings and Bears.
NINA MOINI: Wally, let's talk about the Twins, who had a win, hey, in Kansas City yesterday.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes, their first win of September.
NINA MOINI: It's heartwarming, yeah. What happened?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they hit a couple of home runs. Byron Buxton hit his 30th home run. And oh, by the way, he becomes just the second Minnesota Twin to hit 30 home runs, or at least 30 home runs, and have at least 20 stolen bases in the same season. He has 21 stolen bases right now. And he hit his 30th home run yesterday. It's been a really good year for Byron Buxton. He's been on the field for the most part. He's battled injuries his entire career here as a Twin. But this by far has been his most successful season as far as health goes.
But yeah, they snap a five-game losing streak-- or a six-game losing streak, I should say. The bad news-- and I saw this stat yesterday that is kind of discouraging. It kind of gives you the feel for what's gone on with the Minnesota Twins. Since the All-Star break in mid-July, the Twins have the worst record in baseball. And that's worse than Colorado. The Rockies are terrible. They're on their way to maybe having one of the worst seasons in National League history. But the Twins have been worse since the All-Star break. They have the worst record in baseball. And that's not good.
But they did beat Kansas City yesterday, 5 to 1. Oh, by the way, Kody Clemens got a home run yesterday. And they got a win out of Bailey Ober for the first time-- he was the starting pitcher-- in four months. So that kind of tells the tale of the Minnesota Twins this year. They are taking on the Angels in Anaheim the next three nights.
NINA MOINI: Wow. So let's go back to football really quick, Eric, and check in on the U of M, on the Gophers. They're just a couple weeks into their season. How is that going?
ERIC NELSON: Well, Minnesota's 2 and 0. And that's the good news. They had a historic blowout win over Northwestern State of Louisiana on Saturday. Now, most of us think of Route 66 as that iconic road from Chicago to Santa Monica. But in Dinkytown, Route 66 has new meaning after the Gophers' 66 to 0 route over the Northwestern State Demons.
I've talked about these body bag games. This one qualifies as that. So the Demons get the six-figure check, and they're sent back to Louisiana in a body bag. And how bad was this blowout? There was severe weather, if you remember, Nina, on Saturday in the Twin Cities. They canceled this game with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter. In other words, they pulled the plug on Northwestern State and sent them back home.
NINA MOINI: Yikes.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. The Gophers-- hard to get a gauge on how good they are. Drake Lindsey-- limited action, one touchdown pass, their young quarterback. Grant Washington ran for 126 yards. We'll know a lot more right around midnight Saturday. Gophers take on Cal. So Minnesota's 2 and 0. California's 2 and 0. It's the Golden Gophers and the Golden Bears in Berkeley, clearly Minnesota's toughest game of the year so far.
Cal has convincing wins over Oregon State and Texas Southern this season. They've got a running back named Kendrick Raphael. He ran for 131 yards and had a touchdown in the Golden Bears win over Texas Southern. And if you're going to watch the game, you're going to have to stay up late, kick-off 9:30 PM Central from the place they call Strawberry Canyon in Berkeley.
NINA MOINI: Those are tough. I get it on the West Coast there.
ERIC NELSON: I know you'll be up.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I definitely won't. But let's finish out with the Lynx. I feel like we always end with the Lynx, and maybe because there's more good news there. But they're going to play their final game of the season Thursday against the WNBA's newest team, the Golden State Valkyries. And then on Sunday, the playoffs start. So what do we know about that, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Well, yeah, they've got two games left in the regular season. The playoffs, as you said, starts Sunday. Minnesota likely will play Golden State or Seattle, possibly Indiana in round one. Here's the key on Sunday-- the Minnesota Twins are home. The Minnesota Vikings are home that night.
NINA MOINI: Nice.
ERIC NELSON: And the Lynx are going to have a game. So I'm hoping the WNBA will put that game between the Twins and the Vikings, because you don't want to go head to head against the Vikings on NBC Sunday Night Football. So I'm lobbying for a 4:00 PM kickoff--
NINA MOINI: That'd be nice.
ERIC NELSON: --playoff game number one.
NINA MOINI: Wally and Eric, thank you guys so much as always for filling us in. Hope you have a great week.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You too, Nina.
NINA MOINI: That's our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. That is it for us today. Tomorrow, we're going to continue our series on looking at AI, artificial intelligence, and education. We're going to talk to a high school English teacher in St. Paul, and much more news ahead for you tomorrow at noon. Hope you'll join us again, and have a great rest of your Monday.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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