It's safe to say there's a lot riding on J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The Vikings won 14 games and flirted with the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed a year ago. Instead of paying big bucks to retain the quarterback who led that charge,

McCarthy completed 4 of 7 passes against the Texans for 30 yards and no touchdowns in his first game after 364 days. The 22-year-old is fit and was a full participant in practice sessions ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup against the Patriots.