On Saturday night, the Minnesota Vikings won a preseason game for the first time under Kevin O’Connell and first since 2019. This was as anticipated as a preseason game can get for Vikings fans as they saw the debut of J.J.
McCarthy , among many other fresh faces donning the purple and gold. Winner J.J.
McCarthy /Sam Darnold McCarthy and veteran Sam Darnold had more than enough bright spots Saturday to be happy with where they’re at at this point of training camp. Darnold only played one drive, leading the offense right down the field with a few anticipatory passes to Jailon Nailor, who also played well in the absence of Justin Jefferson . oh no not again pic.
twitter.com/9DQXGOeJNm — Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 11, 2024 McCarthy received much more of the workload after the sole Darnold drive, and it started as poorly as you could’ve drawn it up with an interception on the first drive of his career. While the interception was rough, the way McCarthy responded was as promising as any singular play he made.
He stayed aggressive all game with two big touchdown passes and multiple chunk gains while facing heavy pressure. He looked mobile, accurate and threw with anticipation. If Darnold plays the way he did in his drive throughout a good portion of the season, odds are McCarthy won’t play, which is probably a good thing since McCarthy isn’t all the way there yet.
It wasn’t perfect, but enough to get fans excited for the future. can see the positives of JJ McCarthy's college game translating on his very first attempt and completion. Calm pocket movement and willingness to stand in there, progress on a right-to-left read and fire.
ideally he would get there even quicker, but that comes with more reps. https://t.co/R2A426DCL9 pic.
twitter.com/3tP0sYatC3 — Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 11, 2024 Loser- Jaren Hall Giving Jaren Hall the loser title may be a little harsh, but it doesn’t have a ton to do with how he played- which to be fair wasn’t amazing. But with McCarthy playing as well as he did, and Nick Mullens having a backup job practically set in stone, Hall seems like the odd man out.
Going a pedestrian 7/16 for 63 yards, Hall had multiple passes tipped and the offense stalled out once he came in. He did lead the game-winning drive, so that’ll buy him a little time, but he needs to be better in the next two preseason games. Winner- Bo Richter The undrafted rookie from Air Force wrecked the game once he came in.
Only playing 20 snaps, Bo Richter totaled 6 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. The Vikings need depth all along the defensive line and finding a rotational backup as a UDFA would be huge. Don’t be surprised if Richter makes the 53-man roster when it’s all said and done.
Bo Richter only played 20 snaps yesterday -6 Tackles -1 Sack -2 TFL "Can unlock and close in a blink...
linear twitch and relentless motor will earn him long looks in camp, potentially as a special-teams ace." -D.Brugler -1st Team All-MWC -Led MWC in TFL (19.
5) -4.56 40/40" VJ pic.twitter.
com/DBpTIJXJqc — Luke Inman (@Luke_Spinman) August 11, 2024 Loser- Ed Ingram Saturday’s game was the story of almost every game Ed Ingram has played. Mauling in the run game, and struggling in the pass game. PFF graded him a 64.
6 run-blocking grade (above average) and a 17.1 pass-blocking grade (awful) allowing 2 pressures on two drives. Another thing to take note of was that he stayed in the game when Darnold and some other starters came out.
While his job isn’t exactly in jeopardy, he still needs some reps under his belt to become a more complete player. Ingram pressure on this wayward Addison throw explained – it's all about communication. play to your help! Sound on pic.
twitter.com/muFph6hsf2 — Luke Braun (@LukeBraunNFL) August 11, 2024 Winner- Trishton Jackson /Kene Nwangwu/Trent Sherfield Sr. These three were lumped together because they were responsible for two different touchdowns.
First, Trishton Jackson caught a beautiful go ball from McCarthy after burning the corner on him and making an uncontested touchdown catch. Jackson has received tons of praise from the coaching staff and will play a decent-sized role in 2024. Kene Nwangwu sprung a 48-yard touchdown completely untouched, which wouldn’t have happened without a great block from the notoriously great blocker Trent Sherfield Sr.
If Nwangwu wants a role in the offense, plays like this need to happen more consistently, his game-breaking speed could help a lot. HOUSE CALL! Kene Nwangwu goes 48 yards for the @Vikings TD! : #LVvsMIN on @NFLNetwork : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.
com/4rloO6OlLM — NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024 This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..
