is unlikely to start the ' regular season opener and Saturday probably didn't change that. But McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in his NFL preseason debut, gave the Vikings a lot to look forward to in a 24-23 win over the . McCarthy made some mistakes, most notably a bad interception on his first drive, but rebounding from that mistake adds to the positive vibes from McCarthy's performance.
McCarthy had some fantastic throws. McCarthy played a bit past the halfway mark of the third quarter, and completed 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight that can really get Vikings fans excited happened in the second half when McCarthy threw a beautiful deep ball to for a smooth 45-yard touchdown.
McCarthy hit Jackson perfectly in stride. That came long after Raiders starters on defense had taken a seat. In the regular season, against starters, that window between the safety and cornerback might not be as wide open.
But it's OK to be excited about a really nice throw for a rookie QB. It's especially promising because a knock on McCarthy before the draft was his ability to throw downfield to his left (via ). McCarthy added to his strong day by hitting on a 33-yard touchdown the possession after the Jackson touchdown.
No matter that plenty of the best plays came against backups, McCarthy's highlights looked good. The problem for McCarthy wasn't his overall performance or even that bad interception he had right away, when he telegraphed a pass that Raiders cornerback.