The Vikings Offense Falters in Second Preseason Loss of 2022

Aug 14, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond (11) calls a play before snapping the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The crowd may have been loud for the Minnesota Vikings’ first and only home preseason game of 2022, but the offense was quiet. The Vikings hosted the 49ers on Saturday night, and it largely ended up being a defensive stalemate as the Vikings fell 17-7.

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Things actually got off to a rather promising start as Kellen Mond got the start at quarterback rather than Sean Mannion. Mond helped drive the Vikings down the field on the opening possession, including a beautiful third down conversion to Bisi Johnson…

…but the drive screeched to a halt when he threw an interception to George Odum. It was one of two interceptions he would throw on the night while completing 10/20 passes for 82 yards. He had zero touchdowns after passing for a pair of scores in the preseason opener.

The game quickly turned into a standstill from here. The Vikings defense stood up to the 49ers offense, forcing a turnover on downs on San Francisco’s opening possession. TY McGill was once again a force on the defensive side of teh ball, recording 1.5 sacks after his 2.0 sack performance a week ago.

For the rest of the first quarter, the game quickly turned into a punting competition. The Niners were the first team to break through on the scoreboard as a Robbie Gould field goal put them up 3-0 early in the second quarter.

Sean Mannion led the Vikings on their only touchdown drive of the game, completing all four of his passes for 39 yards, incluidng a 17-yard connection with Trishtan Jackson to get the drive started. Ty Chandler was the one to punch it into the end zone on a three-yard carry. He finished the night with five rushes for 19 yards and a three-yard reception. The Niners answered with another field goal, trimming the Vikings lead to 7-6 going into halftime.

From there, it was all Niners. Part of this may have had to do with an untimely injury on the Vikings defense. Early in the game, rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. left with a non-contact ankle injury. He was helped off the field and was later seen limping out of the medical tent towards the bench. He was ruled out for the rest of the night, taking a key piece from the Vikings secondary for the majority of the game.

In the third quarter, Nate Sundfeld led San Francisco on a 14-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a touchdown and two-point conversion early in the third quarter. He finished his night going 13/17 while passing for 102 yards and that touchdown.

This drive came immediately after Brock Purdy fumbled on Minnesota’s goal-line during San Francisco’s previous possession. Luiji Vilain recovered the fumble, but the Vikings couldn’t take advantage, punting once again. The Niners would tack on another field goal in the fourth quarter, giving us a final score of 17-7.

While there was some excitement about Kellen Mond following Minnesota’s preseason opener, this weekend left us with a bad taste in our mouths more akin to the Mond of 2021. Even though Sean Mannion didn’t turn heads in this game, his ability to at least avoid turnovers and make a few decent throws made this game a win for his pursuit of the backup QB job.

Overall, this game felt much sloppier across the board, especially for the Vikings offense, and Minnesota has one more week to get things right before their final preseason game against the Denver Broncos on August 27th.

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