MINNEAPOLIS -- Before going to bed Friday night, J.J. McCarthy felt his emotions bubble up. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was set to play in his first game in 364 days, and he said it was impossible to think of it as another day of summer football.

"It was just the journey that any injured player goes on to be back out there and doing the thing that they love," McCarthy said after the Vikings' 20-10 victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday.

"It just shows how much I care for this game."

McCarthy said there was "a little teardrop" during the national anthem at U.S. Bank Stadium before he took the field for a 13-play stint that cemented his return from a torn meniscus in his right knee that ended his rookie season.

He completed his first three passes, all to wide receiver

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