Vikings use joint practices with Patriots to continue growing new quarterback J.J. McCarthy

The Vikings hosted New England for joint practices this week and the two teams will take the U.S. Bank Field Saturday for the second preseason game.

All eyes continue to be on Viking quarterback J.J. McCarthy and head coach Kevin O'Connell says so far, so good against the Patriot defense.

"J.J., to go out there and execute the way he did, it felt decisive," says his head coach. "It felt incredibly, you know, an incredible amount of conviction to some of the decisions he made, location of the football, and a lot to build on."

McCarthy said after practice that he felt like there's been a lot of improvement this week.

"Guys were detailed in and out of the routes and, you know, I felt like the ball placement was there, a lot more accurate today than yesterday," McCarthy said after the second practice with the Patriots on Thursday.

O'Connell added that halfway through camp, he's seen the same type of improvement his young QB has.

"Another checkpoint for us as a team, and I'm really proud of the work the guys put in," O'Connell explains. "And like I said, far from perfect. It never is. But joint practice gives you the chance to see some game-like situations."

McCarthey says the work is paying off and he feels like they're getting better every day. Of course, for an NFL-level quarterback, it also means nitpicking and the search for improvement.

"But still a lot of throws that I want back and could, you know, put in better spots," he says. "But at the end of the day, I feel like we were just functioning very well, ones and twos."

The Vikings and Patriots play at noon Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.