After saying this week that a majority of the roster would suit up in the preseason opener, head coach Kevin O'Connell stayed true to his word when the Vikings hosted the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.
On offense, star receiver Justin Jefferson and veteran running back Aaron Jones were the only presumed starters who did not play at least a series. On defense, veteran safety Harrison Smith sat out along with edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. In the end, the Vikings earned a 24-23 win over the Raiders, with rookie kicker Will Reichard nailing a 37yard field goal as time expired.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason opener. Darnold looked the part Though he only got a series under center, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold gave a glimpse of what the offense could look like with him at the helm. His performance was highlighted by a couple of nice throws to speedy receiver Jalen Nailor, which included a beautiful layered ball that went for a gain of 26 yards.
On his only drive, Darnold completed 4 of 8 pass attempts for 59 yards, marching the offense right down the field before stalling out in the red zone. The rest of the game featured Darnold watching from the sideline. "I thought Sam did a great job starting the game," O'Connell said.
"A really efficient drive down the field and we tried to give him a shot there on fourth down with bang-bang play to Speedy." McCarthy was up and down There were highs and lows from rookie quar.