Vikings Photos: Presenting the Titans Preseason Game in 7 Images
K. Joudry
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Credit where it’s due: Dustin Baker put forth a similar piece after Minnesota’s opening game. And, of course, a shout out to the photographers who captured the great Vikings photos.
Mike Vrabel’s crew marched into U.S. Bank on Saturday, pulling off the victory by a score of 24-16. Malik Willis led the Titans to victory as Tennessee found a way to pick up huge yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Vikings leaned on the Nick Mullens/Jaren Hall combo but were undone by some poor penalties, a lethargic run game, some dropped passes, and disappointing run defense.
Instead of relying on the tale of the tape, we’re looking at the insights from the images to explore what happened a couple days ago.
The Vikings Photos from the Titans Game
1. Jaren Hall’s Simple Excellence
The opening preseason game left a little to be desired for Jaren Hall. He looked too skittish as he consistently escaped out of the pocket before throwing to nowhere. On Saturday night, Hall did a considerably better job. Even his incomplete passes were impressive. Nice progress from Hall who needs to keep doing the simple things excellently.
2. Greg Joseph’s Strong Boot
Admit it: you find it scary whenever a purple kicker steps onto the field, don’t you? Don’t be ashamed. A lot of Vikings fans experience similar feelings. One wonders if it’ll take a Super Bowl-sealing kick to fully destroy those misgivings, but it’s impossible to know. Greg Joseph had a perfect day at the office on Saturday, going 3/3 on FGs and 1/1 on XPs. Far from a Super Bowl, to be sure, but a solid day nonetheless.
3. Minnesota’s Talented Tight End
The Vikings have a problem: there are too many talented tight ends. Nick Muse, a 7th-round selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, is fighting for a roster spot. As discussed on Notes from the North, Muse is battling with Johnny Mundt for a spot in Minnesota’s lineup. The coaching staff thinks highly of both players. Muse turned 4 targets into 3 catches for 46 yards.
4. Lewis Cine’s Mixed Bag
And bit of a mixed bag for Mr. Cine against the Titans. He picked up 7 tackles, including a TFL and sack. More concerning is that he missed on the tackle that led to the Tyjae Spears touchdown. Not necessarily an easy play for the sophomore safety, but Brian Flores will be disappointed to see one of his defenders in the gap before missing the tackle that would have saved a touchdown.
5. Generating Pressure
In the end, Sheldon Day likely isn’t making the roster. He’s 29 and has bounced around the league since 2016. He did have a nice day, though. Take a look at how Will Ragatz explained things: “PFF has veteran DT Sheldon Day as the Vikings’ highest-graded player against the Titans. 90.5 grade, four pressures, and a strip-sack on 39 snaps.”
6. The Rumored Malik Willis
Plenty of speculation about Malik Willis and the Vikings. I gather from Vikings Territory that there was some trade speculation about Willis to Minnesota leading up to the game. Back in July, I put together a piece exploring the possibility. Willis finished his day having gone 10/17 for 85 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. He also picked up 91 rushing yards.
7. The Beautiful Bank
An amazing photo that helps capture the beauty of the Vikings’ stadium. Not too much to add, folks. U.S. Bank truly is a remarkable facility and well-deserving of its 1st-place finish in The Athletic list of top NFL stadiums.
