Category: 2022 Preseason

Kirk Cousins isn’t the only quarterback sitting out this preseason

Is it a concern that Cousins hasn’t played in the preseason?

With a new system being put into place by head coach Kevin O’Connell, the question remains as to whether or not starting quarterback Kirk Cousins should play this preseason. According to Warren Sharp, Cousins is one of many starting quarterbacks that haven’t taken a snap this preseason.

Sharp listed off 14 different starters that hadn’t taken a snap this preseason with four of them, including Cousins, who missed at least one game due to injuries.

The positive aspect for the Minnesota Vikings is that Cousins has both worked in the wide zone system for most of his career and also had O’Connell as his quarterbacks coach back in 2017.

The other benefit is that the joint practices arguably offer more to the starters than preseason games and Cousins was a full participant after a short bout with COVID-19.

It isn’t a concern that Cousins hasn’t taken a snap in the preseason. He’s ready for the Packers.

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Vikings Film Room: Brian Asamoah

The future is bright for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings might have found a gem in Oklahoma LB Brian Asamoah in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.

An explosive player at the linebacker position, the prevailing thought about Asamoah was that he would need a year or two to be fully ready for a starting job in the National Football League.

After a couple of preseason games, it’s clear that he is closer to being ready than we initially thought.

During Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, I identified five plays that show where Asamoah currently is and why Vikings fans should be excited about his future.

Harrison Phillips dealing with an injury

Thankfully it appears to be minor

The Minnesota Vikings have gotten lucky so far on the injury front but luck can only take them so far.

In his weekly press conference, head coach Kevin O’Connell gave us some insight on the health of a few players, including one we didn’t expect.

After spending four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Harrison Phillips decided to come over to Minnesota and be a part of the new culture. Unfortunately, he is a little dinged up at the moment.

After playing only 10 snaps in the first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Phillips sat out against the San Francisco 49ers like 26 of his teammates did after two days of joint practices.

Thankfully, the injury is minor, which shouldn’t hinder Phillips from missing any time during the regular season.

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The Vikings Made Two Roster Moves on Monday

The Vikings now sit at 84 players on the roster

The Minnesota Vikings were in a position where they have to trim down the roster down to 80 players by 4 pm EST on Tuesday afternoon. This is identical to what the Vikings needed to do last Tuesday when they trimmed the roster from 90 down to 85.

After trading for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Nick Mullens early Monday morning, they were going to have to make at least one roster move to make room for Mullens.

Early Monday afternoon, they did just that by moving on from two players.

Wilson was best known for catching both Vikings touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first preseason game. After spending time with both the Chiefs and the Dolphins, he was hoping to catch on with Minnesota.

Taylor is an athletic player that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah knew well from his time in San Francisco, but he wasn’t able to stay healthy enough to compete in a deep edge room.

The Vikings will have four more decisions to make this week before the 4 pm EST deadline.

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The Vikings Acquire QB Nick Mullens From the Raiders

The Vikings upgraded their quarterback room in a major way

After watching both Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond struggle mightily this preseason, the Minnesota Vikings decided that the room wasn’t good enough.

Mannion couldn’t navigate the pocket and struggled throwing the football whatsoever.

The issues with Mond were different. He felt more comfortable in the pocket, but seeing the field and making quick, confident decisions are something that he struggled with.

The Vikings obviously needed to bring in someone different to their quarterback room and they made the move on Monday morning.

The conditions are pretty simple, as Mullens needs to be active for one game during the 2022 season.

This is a massive victory for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He knew Mullens from his stops in both San Francisco and Cleveland, which is the likely reason he made the move for Mullens.

If Mullens doesn’t make the team, the Vikings give up nothing. If he does, their quarterback room gets an upgrade at a position that desperately needed it.

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Could Austin Schlottman Earn the Starting Center Job?

Could Garrett Bradbury have some competition?

The center position has been a thorn in the Vikings side for quite a few years. Ever since releasing John Sullivan, the position has seen quite a few different players at the position.

Garrett Bradbury is the current center but his pass blocking has been so bad at times that he has been the worst pass blocking center in the league per PFF.

In Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, he might have found some competition in Austin Schlottman.

He was truly impressive, albeit against mainly backups. He and Ed Ingram did team up to pave the way for the only Vikings touchdown scored by Ty Chandler. While he has his own issues with anchor and strength, another good performance like this from Schlottman could prompt the Vikings to consider a change.

Rookie CB Andrew Booth Jr. Avoided Major Injury

The Vikings received great injury news

The Minnesota Vikings lost 17-7 to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday evening. While there were many takeaways from the game itself, the biggest one happened to come in the second quarter.

Second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. was covering on an out route down the field and ended up getting injured on the play. It looked like the injury was non-contact on replay and the worst conclusion was immediately jumped to.

Fortunately for Booth Jr. and the Vikings, his injury looks to be minor.

The biggest news coming out of this is that the injury doesn’t seem to involve Booth Jr.’s knee. The Vikings got incredibly lucky.

Instant analysis of Vikings 17-7 Loss vs. 49ers in Preseason Week 2

Major takeaways from the Vikings loss against the 49ers

After joint practices for two days earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Minnesota Vikings 17-7 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Just an hour and a half before game time, the Vikings announced that 27 of their 85 players on the roster would not play.

In turn, the 49ers also announced that they would also not be playing 27 players.

Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins all missed the game, meaning it was an opportunity for the backup quarterbacks for both sides to get meaningful reps.

For two offensive coaches, the offense was pretty sloppy throughout. Dropped passes, multiple turnovers and numerous missed opportunities for big plays.

Some of that is on the quarterbacks, as they are not what you would consider NFL starting-caliber quarterbacks. The running game was inconsistent on both sides, although the 49ers turned it up at the end of the game to seal the deal.

The game itself left us with some vital takeaways. Here were my four biggest takeaways from Saturday night’s loss.

49ers vs Vikings: 3 Takeaways at Halftime

The first half had some major takeaways

After joint practices for two days earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings are currently playing at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Just an hour and a half before game time, the Vikings announced that 27 of their 85 players on the roster would not play.

In turn, the 49ers also announced that they would also not be playing 27 players.

Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins all missed the game, meaning it was an opportunity for the backup quarterbacks for both sides to get meaningful reps.

The first half left us with some strong takeaways. Here were the three takeaways from the first half.

Andrew Booth Jr. Limps Off Field, Out For Game

This did not look good for the young rookie

The worst thing that can happen in the preseason is injuries. It’s one of the main reasons why the starters play little to no snaps through the three-contest schedule.

With the game of football being as physical and competitive as it is, injuries can be inevitable, especially those that are non-contact.

Unfortunately, that is what happened to Minnesota Vikings CB Andrew Booth Jr. during the second quarter on Saturday night.

Time will tell what the issue with Booth Jr. was, but the clip of him coming up short in the background is not a sight you want to see.

Shortly after he came out of the game, the team announced that Booth Jr. was out with an ankle injury.

We wish Booth Jr. a speedy recovery and hope the injury is nothing serious.