The buzz was palpable on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium as everybody in attendance was eager to see new franchise quarterback J.J. McCarthy live in action. Would everything that he has learned in training camp translate in the preseason game between the Vikings and the Houston Texans?

J.J. McCarthy was solid in his brief return for the Vikings, going 4 of 7 for 30 yards while leading a scoring drive in his only series and Minnesota topped the Houston Texans 20-10 on Saturday in the teams' preseason opener.

Houston then got their first turn on offense behind Davis Mills at quarterback. The (mostly) second-team defense didn’t put up a whole lot of resistance, as the Texans marched into the end zone, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mills to Braxton Berrios to take a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.