He faced three third downs, one fourth down and was forced to scramble to elude pressure on a blitz. O’Connell also had to be pleased that the opening drive featured no penalties, sacks or turnovers. The operation looked smooth and organized with his new quarterback at the controls. “It felt super clean,” McCarthy said.

Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy played just one series to begin Saturday's preseason opener at U.S. Bank Stadium, and it resulted in points.

QB J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season after suffering a knee injury, led a scoring drive in his only series in the Minnesota Vikings preseason opener Saturday.