First of all, it's beautiful to have football back. Even preseason football.
The Minnesota Vikings jumped out to a big lead over the Denver Broncos, lost that lead in the fourth quarter, and won by two touchdowns, 42-28. Just what you want from a first preseason game.
As that summary summarizes, the Vikings starting offense and defense were solid, perhaps impressive, other than a few big plays the second-string units were mixed, and the third-string units pulled out the win.
Everyone wanted to see quarterback Kirk Cousins in a Vikings uniform. If you tuned in late, you missed his debut. He wasn't in the game for very long and he didn't need to be. Here are his 8 plays:
1st & 10 at Vikings 25: 6-yard pass to Stefon Diggs
2&4 at Vikings 31: holding on Cornelius Edison
2nd & 14 at Vikings 21: 20-yard run by Latavius Murray
1st & 10 at Vikings 41: 21-yard run by Latavius Murray
1st & 10 at Broncos 38: 7-yard pass to C.J. Ham
2nd & 3 at Broncos 31: 28-yard pass to Stefon Diggs
1st & Goal at Broncos 3: 2-yard run by Latavius Murray
2nd & Goal at Broncos 1: no gain by Latavius Murray
3rd& Goal: 1-yard pass to Sefon Diggs for the Touchdown
And just like that, Cousins led a crisp 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open his Vikings career.
3 first downs
Only faced one third down.
4 completions in 4 attempts, 42 yards, and a 1-yard touchdown.
Cousins was done for the night. So was the starting offense.
The starting defense was done after a three-and-out on the opening possession of the game.
Good Vikings Showings:
Offensive starters
-even an offensive line missing all of the projected interior starters was solid
Defensive starters
-even the second-stringers were solid
-at one point the Broncos had more touchdowns (2) than first downs (1)
RB Roc Thomas
RB Mike Boone
RB Mack Brown
-the competition for the third running back spot might be the most intriguing and entertaining on the team. All three contenders had strong, impressive runs. Thomas is likely the fan favorite after a highlight-filled night. Two receiving touchdowns. The second coming on a 78-yard sprint on a screen pass. In reality, all three played well, even great, and I don't think any back separated himself from the other two. Even Thomas.
DE Tashawn Bower
-Bower was a pass-rushing breakout in the preseason last year. He looks even better this year. He was dominant using speed or power, and sometimes both. In the second half it often looked like a Vikings starting defensive lineman was going against a Broncos third-string offensive lineman. Bower was a surprise last year. Now, he's very promising pass rusher.
CB Mike Hughes
-the Vikings first round pick doesn't look like a rookie corner. He gets it.
LB Eric Wilson
-a special team standout as a rookie undrafted free agent last year, he looks like he could be a starting linebacker in base defense this year
QB Kyle Sloter
-after the Broncos took the lead in the fourth quarter Sloter took the game over. The Vikings quarterback situation is the most unusual that I can recall. Sloter is the most tenured quarterback on the team. Despite that, last night was the first time that he's thrown a pass for the Vikings. In fact, all three Vikings quarterback that played last night threw their first pass for the team. Perhaps I'm the only one that finds that unusual.
K Daniel Carlson
-Carlson boomed a 57-yard field goal that would've been good from 100. Well, maybe 65. The kicking competition with Kai Forbath looks over. It was probably over when the Vikings selected Carlson in the fifth round of the draft.
Not-so-good Vikings Showings
LB Kentrell Brothers
CB Holton Hill
CB Jack Tocho
Special Teams
If the coaches review film of this game with the team, Brothers, Hill, and Tocho won't like what they hear or see. Tocho made a big interception in the fourth quarter that set up the Vikings clinching touchdown. That's a very good thing. He also tipped away a potential touchdown throw on the last play of the game. That's a good thing too. He also twice let a Broncos receiver run right past him for a touchdown. Maybe he was expecting, and didn't get, deep help behind him but both looked like terrible technique and shaky awareness. Brothers and Hill each missed some tackles that they simply have to make.
The special teams weren't so special when they gave up a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and called for a fair catch at the nine-yard line on a kickoff. Those were on consecutive plays. At least Daniel Carlson hit that 57-yard field goal.
Last week, left guard Nick Easton had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck. He's heading to injured reserve and is out for the season. On the "unofficial" depth chart that the Vikings released in advance of the Broncos game Aviante Collins is listed as the backup to Riley Reiff at left tackle. With the injuries to the projected starters on the interior of the offensive line, Collins has been getting some reps at left guard in practice. It looked like he played left guard for about half the game last night. He made the block that sprung Roc Thomas on the screen pass that he took for the 78-yard touchdown. He made a few other blocks and he missed on a couple. He's new to the position. I like Collins at left guard. One of Easton's greatest strengths was his ability to get to the second level of the defense and to the perimeter on screens/sweeps. Collins might be the most athletic of the Vikings offensive linemen. He's definitely the fastest. It was fun watching him sprint about 70 yards as Thomas sprinted his way to that touchdown. If he can make the adjustment to left guard over the next month I think that the Vikings offensive line will be better for it.
In Aviante Collins, Tashawn Bower, and Eric Wilson the Vikings have three 2017 undrafted free agents that could play very prominent roles this year.
Some trivial nuggets from the game:
Six quarterbacks played in the game last night:
Kirk Cousins-fourth rounder
Case Keenum-undrafter
Paxton Lynch-first rounder
Trevor Siemian-seventh rounder
Chad Kelly-seventh rounder
Kyle Sloter-undrafted
The lone first rounder, Lynch, was the least impressive.
A couple 1990s Buffalo Bills connections:
Vikings WR Chad Beebe-son of Bills WR Don Beebe
Broncos QB Chad Kelly-nephew of Bills QB Jim Kelly
Vikings quarterbacks on the night:
Kirk Cousins: 4/4, 42 yards, 1 TD
Trevor Siemian: 11/17. 165 yards, 2 TDs, 1 int.
Kyle Sloter: 9/11 69 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush TD
Combined: 24/32, 276 yards, 4 TDs, 1 rush TD
It's only preseason.
The funny thing about the NFL preseason is that everyone is thrilled for it to start and then they can't wait for it to end.
The Vikings host the Jacksonville Jaguars for some practices this week and then a real (preseason) game on Saturday.
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