J.J. McCarthy throws two touchdown passes, Vikings beat Raiders in preseason action

McCarthy bounced back from an early interception and played quite well in his preseason debut.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) passes against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

That went about as well as the Vikings could've hoped for. Will Reichard kicked a game-winning field goal and J.J. McCarthy bounced back from an early interception with an impressive two-touchdown performance, leading three scoring drives in the Vikings' preseason-opening 24-23 victory over the Raiders.

For the first time since 2019, Minnesota emerged victorious in a preseason contest, snapping a ten-game losing streak that dated back to the Mike Zimmer era. Reichard, whose first field goal was blocked in the first half, sealed a comeback win when he drilled a 38-yarder as time expired.

Even if the Vikings had lost, this game would've been a success. McCarthy finished his day 11 of 17 for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 INT, and 18 rushing yards. He drew a huge cheer from the home crowd when he was announced as the new quarterback late in the first quarter, and after a rough INT, he gave the fans in attendance plenty to cheer about. McCarthy's poise, arm talent, and mobility were all on display in a strong debut outing. Sam Darnold is still the clear favorite to be the Vikings' starting quarterback when the regular season begins, but this game may have given the coaching staff some things to think about heading into another big week of training camp.

Trishton Jackson was McCarthy's favorite target, catching four passes for 100 yards and a long touchdown. Jalen Nailor had three catches for 63 yards and Kene Nwangwu and Trent Sherfield also got in the end zone for Minnesota.

The Raiders, playing many of their starters, took it to the Vikings in the first half. Both Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew got in a solid rhythm as the Raiders took a 20-7 lead into the break. The Vikings generated plenty of yards of their own, but they had red zone possessions end in a turnover on downs and a blocked Reichard field goal attempt.

Darnold and the Vikings' first-team offense (minus Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones) played one series to open the game. The drive was going well until it stalled at the Raiders' 4 yard-line when Nailor couldn't come down with a pass in the end zone on fourth down. Darnold was 4 for 8 with 59 yards on the series, including a couple big plays to Nailor.

Defensively, the Vikings played all of their healthy starters except Harrison Smith, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel. Shaq Griffin and Jerry Tillery are still recovering from injuries.

McCarthy took over on the Vikings' second offensive possession and threw an interception on his third pass attempt. It was a poor decision under pressure and a bad throw that Raiders CB Jack Jones was able to read and pick off. The highlights of the first half for the Vikings were a sack by Dallas Turner and a long touchdown run by Nwangwu.

He had a couple nice throws in the first half, but the third quarter is when McCarthy really got rolling. On the Vikings' first possession, he hit Nick Muse for a conversion on 3rd and 9 and then launched a touchdown pass to Jackson on the very next play. It was more of the same on the next drive: A conversion to Jackson on 4th and 1 followed by a TD pass to a wide-open Sherfield.

The Vikings took a 21-20 lead on McCarthy's second touchdown pass, but the Raiders responded with Daniel Carlson's third field goal of the game. Jaren Hall, who took over at QB late in the third quarter, was mostly struggling until he got the Vikings in field goal range with a few big completions on the game's final possession.

This was a great day for Vikings rookies. McCarthy is the headliner, but he wasn't the only one. Turner was impressive in his limited action, and two other rookies — Levi Drake Rodriguez and Bo Richter — joined him with a sack in their preseason debuts. To cap things off, Reichard sent the fans home happy to end it.

The Vikings' second preseason game is next Saturday in Cleveland.