In his second-ever game with the Minnesota Vikings, J.J. McCarthy was only on the field for one offensive series in Saturday's preseason contest against the Houston Texans, but that's all he needed to prove to all of his doubters why he will enter the regular season as the starting quarterback for a team that won 14 games in 2024.
Critics will point to McCarthy's final stat line of 4-for-7 for 30 passing yards and no touchdowns as being something that isn't starting-quarterback worthy. But for those who actually watched all the snaps from the second-year passer on Saturday, it was very clear that he was extremely comfortable in the offense, and he had total command of the huddle.