The J.J. McCarthy era in Minnesota has begun.
The Vikings' starting quarterback made his return to the field for one drive after suffering a torn meniscus during a standout preseason debut last year. While he went just 4-of-7 for 30 yards and led the Vikings to a field goal, it was a measured showing for the 2024 first-rounder. The Houston Texans opted to rest their starters, going with Davis Mills, Kedon Slovis and Graham Mertz at quarterback.
Points were hard to come by, as were star performances, in the Vikings' 20-10 win. But that's what the preseason tends to bring. Both teams still got strong performances out of young offensive linemen, including Joe Huber and Aireontae Ersery, and rookie linebackers, including Kobe King and Jackson Woodard.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The comprehensive grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
The Texans remodeled their offensive line this offseason via trades and cuts, and Ed Ingram is one newcomer looking to crack the lineup in a depth role.
He squared off with his former team in this contest and finished as the game's second-highest-graded offensive player, pending reviews, perhaps providing some confidence that he can contribute snaps to Houston's new-look unit.
Ingram didn't let up any pressure across 16 pass-blocking snaps and made two impact run blocks on just six run-game snaps.
On the other side of the ball, Vikings second-year edge defender Gabriel Murphy stood out with four quarterback pressures, two of which were sacks.
BOX SCORE
| Texans | Vikings | |
| Total points | 10 | 20 |
| Total offensive plays | 53 | 64 |
| Average EPA per play | -0.21 | -0.034 |
| Total net yards | 194 | 256 |
| Avg yards per play | 3.7 | 4 |
| Total first downs | 14 | 20 |
| Rushing first downs | 2 | 5 |
| Passing first downs | 11 | 13 |
| Penalty first downs | 1 | 2 |
| Third-down efficiency | 43% | 54% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 17% | 29% |
| Possessions | 9 | 10 |
| Avg plays per drive | 6.2 | 6.9 |
| Avg yards per drive | 19.4 | 23.3 |
| Avg points per drive | 1 | 1.8 |
| Red-zone possessions | 1 | 3 |
| Red-zone plays | 3 | 10 |
| Red-zone TDs | 1 | 2 |
| Red-zone FGs | 0 | 1 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 100% | 100% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION
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