Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy will play for Vikings in preseason home game

Kevin O'Connell talks 24-23 preseason win over Raiders

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell speaks with reporters after a 24-23 preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings got their first preseason win under Kevin O'Connell in seven tries, 24-23 over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, on Will Reichard's 37-yard walk-off field goal. But the day was about the debuts of quarterbacks Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy.

Darnold's was short-lived, while McCarthy was given a lengthy look.

J.J. McCarthy makes Vikings debut

J.J. McCarthy was 11-17 for 188 yards and two touchdowns after throwing a first quarter interception in his NFL debut.

Darnold's debut

Darnold got the opening series of the game, and it finished with a turnover on downs at the Raiders' 2-yard line. He was 4-of-8 for 59 yards, with completions of 19 and 26 yards to Jalen Nailor. He also hit Jordan Addison for seven yards. But Ty Chandler and Nailor had drops in the end zone to kill the potential scoring drive. For a small sample size, it was solid.

J.J. McCarthy throws 2 third quarter TDs in debut

It was the end of Darnold’s day, as McCarthy got the second offensive series and played through the third quarter. His first pass went to Nailor over the middle for 18 yards. He tried to hit Trishton Jackson on the run on his second pass, but it was intercepted by Jack Jones. He hit Jackson for 24-yard gain in the second quarter before Kene Nwangwu scored on a 48-yard touchdown run. McCarthy finished the first half 6-of-10 for 77 yards.

McCarthy hit Jackson with a perfect throw in stride for a 45-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He followed that with a 33-yard strike to Trent Sherfield for a score. In nearly three full quarters and six possessions, McCarthy finished 11-17 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one turnover. He also scrambled twice for 18 yards.

"I felt like I could breathe a little bit more after seeing Sam go down there and just dice up that defense. After the interception, all those nerves just went out the water and I just felt like I was playing free and having fun," McCarthy said.

"Unbelievable reps for him. I just love seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive. I really wanted to see how he could come in, take some coaching and let’s go out and execute," O'Connell said. "I thought the go ball was beautiful. I thought there was a lot of positives."

Dallas Turner shines

The only Vikings’ defensive starters to sit Saturday were safety Harrison Smith, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Rookie Dallas Turner and Pat Jones II were the edge rushers. Turner got a quarterback hit, then sacked Aidan O’Connell to hold the Raiders to a field goal on their opening series. He showed why the Vikings moved up in the NFL Draft to get him.

The Vikings' offensive starters who didn't play were Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones. The Vikings aren’t going to risk an injury to Jefferson after he signed a massive four-year, $144 million contract extension before the start of mandatory mini camp in June. He was, however, mic'd up for the third quarter TV broadcast, and it was fantastic.

Vikings continue to shuffle secondary

The Vikings continue to revamp their secondary after they traded defensive back Andrew Booth Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys for another defensive back, Nahshon Wright, who was a third round pick in 2021. Booth was a 2022 second round pick and played in 23 games for the Vikings.

In 32 games with the Cowboys, Wright had 31 tackles on defense, and six on special teams.

According to NFL Insider Josina Anderson, the Vikings are flying in defensive back Stephon Gilmore to meet with the team on Monday. Gilmore is entering his 13th NFL season and made 17 starts with the Cowboys last year, totaling a career-high 68 tackles, had two interceptions and forced one fumble. He has familiarity with Brian Flores, playing for him with the New England Patriots.

Gilmore was First-Team All-Pro with the Patriots in 2018 and 2019, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 after collecting six interceptions.

The Vikings need depth in the secondary after the tragic death of Khyree Jackson, losing Mekhi Blackmon to a season-ending knee injury and Shaq Griffin dealing with an injury.

The Vikings' secondary did not have a great first half Saturday. They gave up 183 passing yards, and Theo Jackson got beat in coverage as Gardner Minshew hit D.J. Turner for a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter.