The Vikings Fall in Their Preseason Opener vs. the Seahawks, 24-13
The Minnesota Vikings got their first taste of preseason action on Thursday night, traveling to Seattle and taking on the Seahawks.
The Vikings fell in their preseason opener by a score of 24-13, but it was a great opportunity to see some of the youngest players in action.
The game got off to a relatively slow start, with both teams trading punts on their opening possessions. However, on Minnesota’s second offensive possession it was second-year running back Ty Chandler who led the charge. He totaled 33 yards from scrimmage during the drive, and Minnesota opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal from Greg Joseph.
After another punt from Seattle, Minnesota continued to apply pressure on offense. This time around, it was veteran receivers Brandon Powell and Jalen Reagor to lead the way. QB Nick Mullens hit Powell for a pair of receptions that went for 22 yards, and a 19-yard connection with Reagor in the red zone set up a 4-yard TD pass to TE Nick Muse, extending Minnesota’s lead to 10-0.
Mullens didn’t necessarily have the greatest showing, especially early on, but he seemed to catch a groove down the stretch of the first half. He finished his night completing 14-of-20 passes for 139 yards and the touchdown to Muse.
In Seattle’s final drive of the second quarter, Minnesota’s young defenders struggled a bit in pass coverage with LB Ivan Pace allowing a 29-yard connection from Drew Lock to Jake Bobo. The drive was capped off by an 11-yard TD pass from Lock to Easop Winston while being covered by rookie CB Mekhi Blackmon. The rookie was called for pass interference on the play, throwing salt into the wound. The two teams entered halftime with Minnesota up 10-7.
Interestingly, Lock played much of the second half for Seattle as well, and the veteran was able to carve up Minnesota’s defense throughout the third quarter. He immediately led Seattle on a 10-play, 63-yard drive out of halftime that resulted in a 35-yard field goal from Jason Myers, evening the score at 10-10. Lock would finish his night with 191 passing yards, 2 TD passes, and an interception that was nabbed by rookie CB Jaylin Williams and immediately led to a Vikings field goal.
The Vikings, meanwhile, allowed rookie QB Jaren Hall to take the field for the entire second half. While his statistics won’t blow anyone away (completing 6-of-14 passes for 37 yards), Hall made a few nice throws during his outing, including a 19-yard connection with recent free agent acquisition N’Keal Harry.
In the end, it was Seahawks QB3 Holton Ahlers who delivered the dagger. After rumbling for a 22-yard run, the southpaw would hit Bobo for a 30-yard touchdown. Under pressure, Ahlers delivered a wobbling pass that Bobo hauled in while being guarded by a stumbling Kalon Barnes and walked into the end zone. This TD would give us our final score of 24-13.
The Vikings now head back to Minnesota where they will host the Tennessee Titans for a week of joint practices before another preseason matchup on Saturday, August 19th. That game is scheduled to kick off at 7 PM CST.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.