Yay!
It’s a preseason game. It’s always nice to win. But it’s always nice to win.
Recently anointed QB1 Kyler Murray started the game for the Vikings. He had the starters (minus Justin Jefferson) around him. He only had one possession. The offense smoothly moved the ball down the field. A misconnection with Aaron Jones on third down from the Giants 17-yard line forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal.
A re-imagined, re-emphasized running game has been a focus of the offseason and training camp. The first showing of this running game was promising. All of the backs had holes. All of the backs took advantage of those holes. If there was a highlight of the game for the Vikings, it was the productive work on the ground.
And the defense smothered Jaxson Dart and the Giants offense. If it wasn’t for a couple of breakdowns on the Giants second possession of the game, the defense might’ve had a shutout. The first breakdown was the coverage and tackling on a screen. The Giants had a third-and-forever and the Vikings simply did everything wrong and let them convert. The second breakdown was on the Dart to rookie Malachi Fields touchdown. The Vikings defense got some sacks and got a couple interceptions. From starters to backups, the Vikings defense kept the Giants in check.
Other highlights:
-Myles Price has emerged as much more than a fine returner. His touchdown catch was brilliant.
-Demond Claiborne made a couple rookie mistakes but looks to have some running juice the Vikings have lacked recently. His speed is evident.
-This is going to be a breakout year for Dallas Turner.
-It’s easy to circle a player with an interception but it’s also easy to notice undrafted rookie safety Jacob Thomas.
The lowlight of the game was the injury to Jamal Adams. He went down with an apparent knee injury. It didn’t look good on the field. The reports since haven’t been good. Brutal.
Next up: Joint Practices and Preseason Game #2 against the Baltimore Ravens.
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