Inside That Vikings Butt Kicking This Week
The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up joint practices on Thursday with the New England Patriots, setting the stage for a preseason showdown Saturday at noon.
Discover the six main takeaways from the Vikings and Patriots joint practices, including sweet performances, roster updates, and key developments.
Teams often treat joint practices like the real preseason game, and Minnesota + New England did not exclude themselves from that mindset this week.
Overall, these items for the Vikings became evident over the last two days. One Patriots writer went so far as to say Minnesota gave New England a “butt-kicking” on Thursday.
The Biggest Things We Learned from Vikings-Patriots Practices
Generally speaking, Wednesday and Thursday were a success for Minnesota.
6. No Starters in Saturday’s Preseason Game
Kevin O’Connell stepped up to a microphone on Thursday afternoon, and among many topics, he set the level for the preseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell announced J.J. McCarthy will not play Saturday and QB Sam Howell instead will start.”
This is a familiar tactic for O’Connell, playing starters through joint practices and then putting starters on ice thereafter. The summer of 2025 is no different.
Don’t tune into Saturday’s game expecting to see too many starters. It’ll have a vanilla feel, with mostly backup players in action.
5. Two Probably-Minor Injuries
Minnesota didn’t escape completely unscathed.
Star Tribune‘s Emily Leiker tweeted, “Kevin O’Connell says Josh Metellus (shoulder) and Jalen Nailor (hand) will be evaluated. Didn’t seem too concerned about either. Metellus looked fine leaving the field; he stopped and signed autographs post-practice.”
O’Connell talked about the ailments lightheartedly, so fans shouldn’t fear the worst. However, no matter how you dice it, Metellus and Nailor may be hobbled for a while.
Nailor’s hand injury is particularly noteworthy because Minnesota would be down to nubbins at wide receiver in Week 1 without him. Jordan Addison will be suspended for three games, and Rondale Moore was lost for the year last weekend.
Wide receiver depth will continue to raise eyebrows.
4. WR Tai Felton’s Growth
Tai Felton conducted a rather quiet first couple of weeks at training camp. Or, put this way: he certainly didn’t set the world on fire, and Vikings fans are quite accustomed to falling in love with all rookie wideouts. Felton didn’t allow that early at camp.
He has bounced back, though.
Felton pulled down a couple of catches in the first preseason game. He also matured on the fly against the Patriots in Eagan.
An example:
And this:
SBNation‘s Justin Glenn recently noted on Felton, “This past weekend marked the opening action of the NFL slate. With the start of preseason games, Maryland football alumni from both the 2025 draft and past classes hit the field. Wide receiver Tai Felton had a strong Week 1 for the Minnesota Vikings, representing the 2025 Terps class.”
“He saw time on special teams and with the offense in a 20-10 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday. The third round selection had 36 return yards on special teams, made a tackle as a gunner on punt team and hauled in 14 receiving yards on two catches.”
Felton will get a chance to cook with quarterback Sam Howell this weekend.
“Felton will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact within the Vikings offense and develop alongside quarterback JJ McCarthy and receiver Justin Jefferson, with two wideouts expected to miss time. The 22-year-old will have a chance to step into his own and take more meaningful snaps in practice and in preseason with the Vikings’ first and second-team offense,” Glenn added.
“Expect to see a bigger sample size of Felton on Saturday, Aug. 16 against the New England Patriots.”
3. Ups and Downs for G Donovan Jackson
Jackson has put some sweet footage on tape; Jackson has put some follies on tape. It’s the life of an NFL rookie, and Jackson hasn’t been immune.
First, the rough stuff:
And the beastly:
Jackson didn’t have the best outing last weekend versus the Houston Texans — he even acknowledged it — so putting a positive thumbprint on joint practices was mandatory for the young guard. And for the most part, he did it.
2. Jordan Addison Is Unstoppable
Addison murdered the Patriots’ secondary on both days. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy said about his playmaker, “One of a kind route-runner. He does some really special things out there, the way he gets in and out of cuts. His top-end speed is first class. … He’s open a lot.”
SI.com’s Will Ragatz on Thursday: “J.J. McCarthy hits Jordan Addison for a touchdown with 10 seconds left to win the 1-min drill for Vikings’ offense. Addison let Marcus Jones know about it after. What a practice for 9 and 3.”
The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis also called Addison “unguardable” on Wednesday.
1. J.J. McCarthy Cooked on Day No. 2
If McCarthy played decently on Wednesday, he played magnificently on Thursday.
Patriots reporter Chad Graff tweeted, “The Patriots’ final joint practice of the summer is over and it was a butt kicking. Minnesota was better in just about every drill. The Pats hit a Hail Mary, but few highlights outside that. Defense got carved and offense was left to dink and dunk amid lots of pressure.”
He added, “JJ McCarthy just hit a beautiful deep ball to Aaron Jones. Still time for it to change, but it’s been rough for the Patriots D so far after a good day yesterday.”
Obligatory footage:
McCarthy had a stretch of completing 12 of 13 passes on Thursday.
Minnesota’s regular season is 3.5 weeks away.
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