The Vikings Fall in Second Preseason Game vs. Titans, 24-16
The Minnesota Vikings lost their second preseason game to begin the 2023 season, falling to the Tennessee Titans, 24-16, on Saturday evening.
The loss was Minnesota’s second to begin preseason play and got the Titans into the win column for the first time. It was also the Vikings ninth consecutive preseason loss going back to 2019.
The game was all about the two defenses early on. The Vikings turned the ball over on downs during their opening possession, and then the two teams traded punts on four consecutive drives after that. Tennessee finally opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a nine-play drive that went for 70 yards.
QB Malik Willis, who played the entire game for Tennessee with Will Levis out due to injury, didn’t do much through the air during the drive. Instead, it was the Tyjae Spears show, who rumbled for 53 rushing yards, including a 33-yard touchdown run to cap everything off. The running back would total 57 yards on seven carries.
The Vikings had promising drives on each of their next two possessions, but poor protection for Nick Mullens and penalties by the offensive line would force the Vikings to settle for field goals on each of them. In particular, Oli Udoh had a tough game, allowing multiple sacks and being penalized twice.
Nonetheless, the Titans lead would be trimmed down to a single point at 7-6 after Greg Joseph nailed field goals from 45 and 33 yards out. He would go a perfect 4-for-4 on his kicks. After another field goal following a muffed punt by Tennessee that was recovered by CB Tay Gowan, the Vikings would enter halftime with a 9-7 lead.
The second half would be all Titans, though. Tennessee quickly jumped back on top with a field goal and a touchdown to begin the half while the Jaren Hall-led Vikings offense would be forced to settle for punts on each of their opening possessions. Willis would set up the TD drive with a 26-yard scramble, adding to his ultimate total of 91 rushing yards. Julius Chestnut would punch the ball into the end zone on a five-yard run, making the Titans lead 17-9.
The story of the game for Tennessee was dominating in the running game. The Titans would total a whopping 282 rushing yards on the night, and that would be a key portion of their next TD drive as 37 of their 53 yards would come on the ground. Willis capped off the drive with a TD pass to Chestnut, extending the lead to 24-9.
Hall would give the Vikings one more strong drive, helping them score their only touchdown of the night on a methodical 12-play possession that went for 83 yards. Hall looked much more comfortable in the pocket throughout the night, and he made a few impressive throws, totaling 49 yards through the air by completing 4-of-7 passes. RB DeWayne McBride would break through into the end zone on a 1-yard TD run, giving us our final score of 24-16.
The Vikings are set to close out their preseason schedule by playing host to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, August 26th. Prior to that preseason game, the two teams will participate in joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
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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.