4 Takeaways from the Vikings First Preseason Game
Yuck.
The Minnesota Vikings rested 30 players on Saturday during the team’s first preseason game of 2021, resulting in 33-6 walloping courtesy of the Denver Broncos. Yes, t-h-i-r-t-y.
It’s almost as if Denver had vengeance aforethought from the Vikings stunning comeback two years ago. But probably not — this was merely an exhibition, a naughty one for Minnesota.
Here are the four notable takeaways from the Vikings first preseason game.
1. Dakota Dozier Struggles Again
Dakota Dozier played 100% of all Vikings offensive snaps in 2020. Usually an impressive feat for any player, this was a net negative for Minnesota as Dozier compiled a Pro Football Focus grade of 44.6, which scraped the bottom of the league for offensive guards.
Against the Broncos, Dozier was awful once again. He fired up a holding penalty in the endzone, creating a safety for Denver and possession of the ball for Drew Lock and friends. In the same quarter, he was called for a false start. That isn’t the end of the world, but it felt especially nauseating after the holding infraction.
The Vikings must sever their fascination with this man. He isn’t very good. And he doesn’t appear to be any better than last season’s cringer.
2. The Plot Thickens at QB2
Kellen Mond received ample preseason action — after many folks believed he’d be held out of the contest — playing about half the game.
The merits of his performance are debatable. Mond has three days of training camp in his arsenal and a claim-to-fame that he outlasted the coronavirus. He made a couple of plays with his feet, but his tossing of the ball was subpar. Mond completed 6 for 16 passes and 53 yards on the way to a 47.1 passer rating.
Training camp hero, Jake Browning, was worse. He hand-delivered a pick-six to Broncos rookie cornerback Patrick Surtain, culminating an afternoon when he authored an abhorrent 17.1 passer rating.
Some perceived Browning as the ironclad QB2 because of his reasonable camp performance and vaccination status.
You better rethink that.
3. Wyatt Davis, the Glimmer of Hope
On an otherwise nasty day for Minnesota, 3rd-Rounder Wyatt Davis showed some promise.
Davis was plucked from the 2021 NFL Draft in a “steal” capacity after general manager Rick Spielman traded his 14th overall pick for three other dudes. Davis was one of the dudes.
His training camp output was mediocre, but he arrived versus the Broncos, putting some good stuff on tape.
Davis is going to have a very good Monday dear god. Rough start with the sack and then absolutely housing people https://t.co/SfYy6x7an0
— Luke Braun (@LukeBraunNFL) August 14, 2021
One of his offensive lineman teammates, Oli Udoh, is the presumptive starter at right guard. Yet, Davis tightened the slack on that leash if Udoh fails to translate training camp success to the regular season.
With a little development and acclimation to the Vikings offense, Davis can be a monster. Minnesota needs the good kind of monsters on its oft-lousy offensive line.
4. A Spanking Sans 30 Players
That’s right — the Vikings rested 30 players. The Justin Jefferson panic from last week must have injected dread into the coaching staff’s brains.
A team is bound to struggle when its second and third-team personnel match up against another organization’s first team. Players matter. Why do you think the Vikings defense was so uncharacteristically flimsy in 2020? Mike Zimmer was missing hit heavy hitters for most of the season.
After the game, several fans pivoted to a “same ‘ol feces” attitude on the team — and Zimmer specifically. Maybe reserve than venom for a game in which 30 players are not sidelined?