Rondale Moore suffered a leg injury on a punt return early in the second quarter of the Minnesota Vikings’ first preseason game. He put a towel over his head and slammed his hands on the medical cart as the Vikings towed him away.
J.J. McCarthy watched while kneeling a few feet away.
A few of the guys have walked to the opposite sideline to kneel/pray for Rondale Moore pic.twitter.com/Eg14k8VBTW
— Jason Harmon (@_jason_777) August 9, 2025
Players understand that injuries are an inherent part of the game. Still, it had to be hard for McCarthy and his teammates to see Moore suffer a season-ending injury on a routine play.
McCarthy has been there before. The Vikings didn’t cart him off when he suffered a season-ending meniscus tear last year. There was never a clear indication of when he injured his knee, and the team thought it was innocuous.
Instead, it put Minnesota’s long-term plans at quarterback on hold.
Naturally, people were looking for answers in Minnesota’s first preseason game. Here’s what we know: McCarthy finished four of seven for 30 yards and a 67.6 passer rating. As far as we know, he also didn’t get hurt.
“Didn’t really feel like he put the ball at harm’s risk very much in that sequence of plays,” Kevin O’Connell emphasized.
McCarthy started three for three, all of them to Jordan Addison. However, he went one for four after that, and the drive stalled out. Addison also bailed him out on two of the throws. The first was behind him, and the third was a diving catch on an 18-yard completion.
J.J. McCarthy to a diving Jordan Addison for 18 yards pic.twitter.com/DB2KgGoX3y
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 9, 2025
Addison won’t be there to bail him out at the beginning of the season, though. He’ll be serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substances of abuse policy, and the Vikings ran the offense through him on Saturday.
Justin Jefferson should return from his hamstring injury, but defenses will focus on him. That means Jalen Nailor and Lucky Jackson must get open and provide secondary options for McCarthy while Addison is out.
During his first and only drive, McCarthy overthrew Jackson on third-and-four. However, he bounced back immediately on the next play, scrambling for first down instead of risking a pass downfield.
JJ McCarthy looks exactly like Mahomes. Oh my god. pic.twitter.com/XMIhexCiLp
— Cam (@42Cyc) August 9, 2025
“There was a level of composure and poise to how he ran the show that was exactly what I was looking for,” O’Connell said.
Look at what O’Connell emphasizes here: poise and responsible passing. The Vikings are trying to deliver McCarthy into the NFL with clean hands. They fortified the offensive line, and added Jordan Mason to bolster the run game. McCarthy just needs to operate O’Connell’s system and stay composed under pressure.
He admitted he shed a tear before the game, knowing it was a year since he suffered a season-ending meniscus injury in Minnesota’s first preseason game last year. McCarthy started three of three and picked up a first down when the Vikings needed one. He was also one of the first players on the field to support Moore when he got injured.
McCarthy showed he can do that against Houston on Saturday. However, he will have to demonstrate he can do more in joint practices against the New England Patriots this week. Even then, we won’t know if he’ll be ready for Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.
Until then, we wait.