Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell drops to 0-6 in the preseason with an 18-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings got off on the right foot on the first drive, lasting 10 plays and 75 yards. Running back DeWayne McBride scored from one yard out.
Quarterback Jaren Hall looked much improved from his first two performances. He was much more calm and confident in the pocket while also making more accurate throws. He finished the game completing 17-of-28 passes for 17 yards, a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 20 yards on five carries.
The second drive of the game saw safety Jay Ward strip-sack quarterback Clayton Tune on a Bengal Hawk blitz with six players lined up on the line of scrimmage and you send all of them.
The first play after that was Hall hitting running back Abram Smith on an out route from the backfield for a five-yard touchdown.
They entered halftime up 17-3 with the Cardinals missing a field goal toward the end of the second quarter.
Once the second half began, things took a turn. Quarterback David Blough led the Cardinals on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took 7:06 off of the clock. The Vikings couldn’t get things off the ground on offense in the second half, including an interception from Hall that led to the go-ahead field goal.
The defense looked improved with their rush defense, as they allowed 281 on 40 carries to the Tennessee Titans. On Saturday, they allowed 141 yards on 31 attempts. That isn’t perfect, but acceptable as the Cardinals rushed for 4.5 yards per carry.
Ahead of the Vikings is cut down day, where the Vikings have to be down to 53 players on Tuesday, August 29th by 3 pm central.
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