Mike Zimmer rules August. After last night's 25-19 win home win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings head coach now has a 19-4 preseason record. While not necessarily a statistic that's routinely brought up in conversation it's not a bad thing. Winning is winning. Even in the preseason.
Some good from the Vikings 25-19 defeat of the Seahawks:
1. Penalties. Last week the Vikings were penalized 13 times. Last night, they were penalized six times. The decrease is great but it wasn't all good. There were some very costly penalties. A clipping penalty on tight end Kyle Rudolph moved the ball from the six-yard line to outside the 20-yard line. That's a momentum and opportunity killer. The Vikings had to settle for a field goal. Holton Hill had a couple big penalties. A pass interference and a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Seahawks quarterback out of the game. The latter penalty also removed Hill from the game. Despite some costly penalties, it was great to cut the total penalties in half from Week 1 to Week 2.
2. Quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion, and Kyle Sloter played well. Jake Browning didn't play at all. The difference in this preseason game was simple. The Vikings backup quarterbacks outplayed the Seahawks backup quarterbacks. Cousins and Russell Wilson were basically a push. Mannion and Sloter moved the ball and led three touchdown drives. The Seahawks only touchdown was a defensive score.
3. Running backs. The Vikings rushed for over 200 yards last week. They weren't nearly as productive against the Seahawks, 137 yards on 39 carries, but they were effective. The backs moved the chains and drained the clock at the end of the game. Three plays stood out. The Vikings had a 4th-and-1 on their opening drive. C.J. Ham picked it up. The third touchdown came on a 1st-and-goal from the 1. Khari Blasingame scored on first down. They went for 2, Mike Boone cruised through the line and into the end zone. Those short-yardage runs might not seem like much but the Vikings couldn't pick those up last year. Picking up a much needed yard on the ground was a frequent struggle. If they had to pick up a yard on the ground last year, they couldn't. They did it with ease last night.
4. The defense in general. Nothing in particular stood out. The secondary had some breakdowns. But the defense throughout the game kept the Seahawks out of the end zone. After Wilson left the game, the Seahawks offense rarely threatened.
5. Kicking game. After sending a 5th-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for K/P Kaare Vedvik last Sunday, the media and fans had a week full of fun and questions over the kicking game. Through two preseason games, Dan Bailey has put every kick through the uprights. Granted, he's only had to hit extra points and a field goal that was shorter than an extra point, but there's something refreshingly stress-free about the operation. But, maybe that's just me. Until the Vikings show me something else, I'm running with the thinking that Bailey will kick and Vedvik will punt and kick off. It's looking more and more like receiver Chad Beebe will be the holder.
Players That Played Well:
1. Adam Thielen. It seems silly to include Thielen as a player that played well in a preseason game. There's something about his game this year that seems better than previous years. Terrific catches are just another day at the office. He's good. Really good.
2. Harrison Smith. As with Thielen it seems silly to single out Smith for his play in a preseason game. He made two plays, one against the run and one against the pass, that showed the versatility that he's shown for years. He's good. Really good.
3. Jayron Kearse. He had three tackles for loss and basically wrecked the intentions of the Seahawks offense throughout the time he was on the field. Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are set as the safeties but the coaches have to find ways to get Kearse on the field as often as possible.
4. Irv Smith, Jr. The rookie tight end looked much more confident and comfortable this week. He even scored his first NFL touchdown.
5. Ifeadi Odenigbo. It may have taken a while but Odenigbo really seems to have found his place on the team. He's been very disruptive in both preseason games. The defensive end depth behind Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter is looking good with Stephen Weatherly and Odenigbo.
6. Kaare Vedvik. His punting and kicking looks so effortless. Perhaps there will be a day when he does both. For now, he looks like the punter and I'm feeling better about the entire kicking game because of it.
Some other thoughts.
Until this point, I was firmly of the opinion that Ameer Abdullah had a solid hold on the third running back job. Part of that was due to his kick return skills. I'm now leaning toward Mike Boone being the third running back. This is his second preseason with the team and he just makes plays whenever he gets playing time. It didn't help Abdullah that he was out against the Seahawks.
More running backs. The Vikings were backed up near the own goal line to start their second possession. On the first play, Alexander Mattison was bent backwards at the knee in an awkward manner. Live and on replay, I thought that his season was done. I was surprised and very relieved to see him in the backfield for the next play. Remarkable.
Even more running backs. I can not wait to see Dalvin Cook in this offense. Or, I can not wait to see this offense with Dalvin Cook in it.
A win is a win. Even in preseason. Winning is fun.
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