6 Quick Takeaways from the Vikings’ Preseason Loss
The Minnesota Vikings are now 1-1 in the useless preseason standings after failing to complete a last-second attempt to tie the matchup. It was a rather sloppy game by the Vikings, but considering many of the players won’t be on NFL teams next month, that is expected.
6 Quick Takeaways from the Vikings’ Preseason Loss
We certainly learned a thing or two in the contest.
1. Depth QBs Remain a Concern
At quarterback, it’s clear that J.J. McCarthy will start for the 2025 Vikings. But who’s the backup, the emergency passer, and the odd-man out? Neither of the three quarterbacks looked like the second coming of Patrick Mahomes on Saturday.
Sam Howell started, but he left the game after a couple of drives with a passer rating of 0.0. He completed just one of five passes and tossed an ill-advised throw into the hands of a defender while trying to throw it away. It should be noted that New England played with their top defense, while Howell was in the huddle with the backups.
Brett Rypien had a pretty boring game, going 7/11 for 83 yards with heavy screen usage. And Max Brosmer, who got a ton of playing time, went 15/27 for 156 and an interception on the last play of the day.
After a decent first game, Howell didn’t do himself any favors this time. Rypien has control over the offense but lacks any intriguing physical tools, while Brosmer is still a rookie and not every pass was sharp. Yet, Brosmer continues to showcase good accuracy and timing. The QB competition will remain one to watch, and external additions can’t be ruled out either.
2. Myles Price Has Some Juice
The punt returning job has been vacant all offseason, but especially since Rondale Moore was knocked out for the entire year in the preseason opener. Only Myles Price returned a pair of punts on Saturday, and he recorded 33 return yards on those. Furthermore, he also took his only kick return for 81 yards, getting caught a few yards away from paradise.
Potential kick returner Tai Felton fumbled his only return, and neither Silas Bolden nor Zavier Scott did much on theirs. Price, who returned punts at the University of Indiana, should be considered a serious candidate for one or even both jobs. The rookie also caught a pair of passes for 11 yards.
3. Austin Keys Can Ball
At linebacker, the Vikings are pretty much set with starters Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., as well as backups Eric Wilson and Kobe King. Usually, teams keep four, but a linebacker with the jersey number 56 keeps flashing in those preseason contests.
Austin Keys, a rookie out of Auburn, made a game-high seven tackles in the game after securing two tackles in the first game. The 53-man roster is still a long shot, but Keys is a strong practice squad candidate.
4. Punting Competition Is Real
In each of the last three years, Ryan Wright held Minnesota’s punting job. He snatched that from Australian punter Jordan Berry in the 2022 offseason. Well, once again, he’s facing some competition from overseas.
Aussie rookie Oscar Chapman split punts with the incumbent specialist, and the Vikings finally tried him out as a holder in Will Reichard’s kicking operation. Neither of the two punters separated himself on Saturday, but the fact that Chapman got some holding reps indicates that he’s a serious competitor rather than just a camp body.
5. Lucky’s Unlucky Day
Third-year receiver Lucky Jackson has been one of the winners of Minnesota’s summer, but Saturday was not his best performance. He was targeted five times and caught only one of them for nine yards. The 28-year-old dropped two passes.
He’s still in a good position as the coaching staff seemingly trusts him, but he failed to separate himself further from his teammates and perhaps even encouraged the Vikings to call some free agents to strengthen the depth.
6. More Will Reichard Bounce-Back
The aforementioned Reichard continued his bounce-back journey. He split the uprights on all four of his kicks (all field goals), including a gorgeous 54-yarder. He was responsible for all 12 points on the scoreboard.
Minnesota’s sophomore had his early-camp struggles and is coming off a season that ended with him failing to show any consistency after coming back from injury, but he’s seemingly back on track.
Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN, PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.