Justin Jefferson, Kevin O'Connell to join preseason Vikings broadcasts

Saturday's game will kick off at 3 p.m. CT. NFL Network will carry the game, and so too will FOX 9 and 11 affiliates in Minnesota (Duluth, Rochester, Mankato), North Dakota (Fargo, Bismarck), South Dakota (Sioux Falls), Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids), Wisconsin (La Crosse), and Nebraska (Omaha). There's even an affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska (KTUU) this season.

On the radio, the game will be available across the five-state Vikings Radio Network, including locally in the Twin Cities on KFAN 100.3-FM and KTLK 1130-AM. Allen will handle the play-by-play while Pete Berchich and Ben Leber (both former Vikings linebackers) will work as analysts, while Vikings.com's Tatum Everett will be the sideline reporter.

Saturday's pregame show starts on the radio at 1 p.m., followed by the television pregame show via FOX 9 beginning at 2 p.m.

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The preseason opener is expected to be the first and only look at quarterback J.J. McCarthy this preseason. It'll mark his first action in a game since suffering a torn meniscus in his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders last season.

While McCarthy isn't expected to take the field in Minnesota's second and third preseason games, he will get two days of game-like simulation when the Vikings host the Patriots for joint practices at TCO Performance Center in Eagan next Wednesday and Thursday.

Jefferson, meanwhile, was never going to play in the preseason anyway. The hamstring injury he suffered early in training camp only solidified that plan. All signs point to Jefferson being ready for the regular season opener against the Chicago Bears on Monday, Sept. 8 — and there's a good chance that Jefferson will provide an update on his health when he joins the broadcast on Saturday.

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