MINNEAPOLIS -- Before going to bed Friday night, J.J. McCarthy felt his emotions bubble up. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was set to play in his first game in 364 days, and it was impossible to think of it as another day of summer football.
"It was just the journey that any injured player goes on to be back out there and doing the thing that they love," McCarthy said after the Vikings' 20-10 victory over the Houston Texans. "...It just shows how much I care for this game."
There was "a little tear drop" during the national anthem Saturday at U.