The Minnesota Vikings defeated the visiting Arizona Cardinals yesterday 20-9. It was another example of how the score of a preseason game reveals little of the game. The Vikings won by 11 points but you'd think that they lost by 50 if you go by the post game press conferences of head coach Mike Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins.
From Zimmer:
“I felt like there wasn’t much energy,” Zimmer said. “Defensively, we didn’t rush the passer well. We had guys not going to the huddle defensively, so they don’t know the call. Offensively, we had dropped balls, penalties, a bunch of three-and-outs. We missed two field goals. It was really a poor performance, and we need to play a lot better than that if we’re going to win football games.”
From Cousins:
“We’ve got a long story to write here for the season,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “This will be ancient history as we get deep into the season, and we’ll find out if it was a help or not. But all I know right now without that benefit of hindsight is that if we play or I should say I, if I play the way I did today, it’s going to be a long year. We’ve got to be a lot better.”
More Cousins:
“If this ends up being the needed wake-up call or somehow we’re much sharper coming out of the gates Week 1, then it was all for the better,” Cousins said. “We don’t have that knowledge yet to see how it plays out, but certainly there will be a sense of urgency in our preparation, as there always should be. Bottom line, today was not acceptable.”
That's about all that needs to be said about this sad games but here's a little more.
It was the Vikings' third preseason game but it looked more like the team had stepped on the field for the first time after a long offseason. The difference between the performance of the first team offense in this game and the first two games is best seen in statistics of Cousins. He completed 10 of 12 passes for 133 yards and touchdown in the first two games. He completed just 3 of 13 passes for 35 yards yesterday. There were drops and tipped passes. He was sacked for the first time in the preseason. Maybe the first stringers were feeling a little too good about themselves.
If not for Dalvin Cook and the usual excellent preseason performance from quarterback Kyle Sloter, the Vikings lose this game. Cook had his first two carries of the preseason. He gained 88 yards on those two carries. One of those two carries was an 85-yard touchdown run. He looks ready for the season. He's really good. Simple as that. With Sloter's preseason performances the last two years, if the score is close when he enters the game it's a Vikings win. He completed 6 of 7 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. He directed two touchdown drives. Cook started it. Sloter finished it. Just about everything in between needs to be corrected and then forgotten.
It's on to Thursday's preseason finale in Buffalo against the Bills.
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