12 Snap Reactions after Vikings 1st Preseason Game
Welcome back. After each Minnesota Vikings game, we offer snap reactions, a precursor to the week’s coverage of the game to follow.
This will be off-the-cuff, a wee bit ‘random,’ and hopefully insightful.
12 Snap Reactions after Vikings 1st Preseason Game
The Vikings began the preseason in 2023 with a trip to Seattle and lost 24-13. Minnesota started somewhat hot — but fizzled.
1 – The defense was the scourge in 2022 — especially in the playoff loss to the New York Giants — but this rendition of a Vikings defense flew around all over the place, albeit with second and third-teamers. Whether Minnesota’s defense significantly improves remains to be seen, but the preseason game proved it will feel different. Brian Flores’ men were hungry, fast, and aggressive — so, you know, as advertised.
2 – Jordan Addison hauled in a tip-toe reception that was ruled incomplete, but replays showed rather vividly that it should’ve been a catch. On the whole, Addison ‘looked the part’ in Preseason Game No. 1, and fans are well within their right to be excited about his rookie campaign.
3 – Lewis Cine laid the wood a couple of times, has recovered from a horrific leg injury, and whiffed a couple of tackles. He’s back for the long haul, and his preseason effort was encouraging. He’s hungry.
4 – Minnesota fired up way too many penalties — many of them dumb — but that’s how it goes, at times, when reservist players gather for the first party of the year.
5 – Rookie tailback DeWayne McBride looked visibly slow on the field, taking hand-offs and returning a few kicks. He certainly wasn’t broadcast as a speed demon coming out of Alabama-Birmingham, but he isn’t supposed to meander, either.
6 – Khyiris Tonga, listed as a starter on the first depth chart of the year, received ample playing time and was a disruptor in the middle of the defensive line. He tallied a tackle and a QB hit.
7 – Jalen Reagor looked like he belonged — after a disappointing first year in Minnesota. He produced 4 catches for 55 yards and acted as an offensive bright spot on Thursday night.
8 – A roster bubble candidate, outside linebacker Luiji Vilain had a night, notching 3 tackles and a sack. The Vikings will have a decision to make at the bottom of the EDGE depth chart, and Vilain stated his case in living color at Lumen Field.
9 – The unsung cornerbacks — Jaylin Williams and NaJee Thompson — played marvelously and enhanced the competition at the end of the CB depth chart. Thompson particularly excelled on special teams, and that matters.
10 – Ty Chandler once again stood out in a preseason game and, at least versus a second-team defense, appears ready to win an RB2 job. Alexander Mattison has RB1 solidified, but Chandler and his friends Kene Nwangwu and DeWayne McBride are dueling for the primary backup gig. With 70 yards from scrimmage, Chandler did not hurt his case.
11 – The offensive line played shaky and lacked confidence, but Ed Ingram was the only starter who saw the field. Thankfully, Vikings fans have a decade-plus of sloppy OL performance at the front of their minds, so Thursday night was not breaking news.
12 – Jaren Hall didn’t do much, despite playing the entire second half. He showed mobility in the pocket, shimmying out of trouble more than once. Reality then hit, and Hall was smoked in the 4th Quarter, sacked on back-to-back plays with about seven minutes to go in the game. The offensive line didn’t help, but Hall probably fetched a C- or so grade.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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