Tag: Sean Mannion

Minnesota Vikings release QB Sean Mannion

The writing was on the wall once Nick Mullens was traded for

The Minnesota Vikings look to only be keeping two quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster with the release of quarterback Sean Mannion on Tuesday.

After losing Trevor Siemian to free agency after the 2018 season, the Vikings brought in Mannion to be the backup quarterback to Kirk Cousins. While he isn’t the greatest on-field player, he was brought in to be an extra set of eyes and ears for Cousins, one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL.

When he did get into the game, it wasn’t pretty. He started the win or go home game against the Green Bay Packers in week 17 last season and it ended up being a disastrous 37-10 blowout loss.

This preseason, he and Kellen Mond were vying for the backup quarterback job, but both of them performed so poorly in their own right that the Vikings made a trade for Nick Mullens.

While he is no longer on the initial 53-man roster, an expanded 16 player practice squad could be the place for Mannion who has a rapport with Cousins.

Be sure to keep tabs on all the Vikings roster cuts with our tracker.

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Instant analysis from the Vikings 23-13 loss vs the Broncos on Saturday

The Vikings lost a tough game to the Broncos, dropping them to 0-3 in the preseason

The Minnesota Vikings played well at times but lost a tough game to the Denver Broncos 23-13.

The focus was on the quarterbacks, as the Viking acquired Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday morning. He did not get into the game, so we got Sean Mannion in the first half and Kellen Mond in the second half

Both guys struggled throughout the game. Mannion went 9-of-16 for 121 yards and had the worst play of the game for the Vikings. He was strip-sacked and Baron Browning took it for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.

When Kellen Mond took over in the second half, things didn’t get any better. He finished 10-of-17 for 102 yards while looking lost and uncomfortable in the pocket during the entire half.

The biggest takeaway regarding the quarterback position is it shouldn’t have either Mannion or Mond rostered as neither has proven that they can be a quality NFL quarterback.

Running back Ty Chandler looked like the best Viking on the field, showcasing his elite burst and speed with great vision. He finished the day with five rushes for 44 yards at a staggering 8.8 yards per rush.

The defense had a lot of ups and downs. Some of that was due to the injuries that the unit sustained. They also got caught over pursuing consistently, including on a reverse touchdown for Montrell Washington.

Myles Dorn was the highlight of the defense. He was all over the field on Saturday night with six tackles and two passes defended. With Metellus getting injured early on, Dorn might have earned himself a roster spot.

Now that the preseason is done, the Vikings look toward two dates: cut down day on August 30th and week one against the Green Bay Packers on September 11th.

Finishing winless in the preseason isn’t ideal, but the development of players and talent evaluation is more important. The Vikings have a lot of decisions to make over the next 72 hours and you can keep track of all those decisions here.

Vikings vs Broncos: 3 things to watch for during Saturday night’s game

During tonight’s final preseason game against the Denver Broncos, here are three things you should be watching for.

The preseason for the Minnesota Vikings wraps up tonight as they take on the Denver Broncos at 8 pm central time.

The third preseason game is an interesting one this year for the Vikings. Historically, it has been the game where the starters get the most run in preparation for the regular season opener in just 10 days.

With only three preseason games, that contest has moved to the second game. The Vikings, having had joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers during the week chose to rest all but one of their starters.

Going into Saturday’s game, head coach Kevin O’Connell hadn’t given any clear direction as to whether the starters would be playing in the game.

For the sake of this piece, we are going with the assumption that the Vikings choose not to play the starters and we get to see a lot of developmental players get quality snaps. With that in mind, here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game against the Broncos.

 

Social Media Reacts to the Vikings Trading for Nick Mullens

THe opinions on Mullens are mostly positive

The Minnesota Vikings were massively struggling at the quarterback position.

Behind Kirk Cousins, the Vikings were in a rough spot. Both Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond had poor performances against the San Francisco 49ers. After the game, there were a barrage of opinions that the Vikings needed to upgrade at the backup quarterback position.

On Monday morning, the Vikings did just that. They acquired Nick Mullens from the Las Vegas Raiders. They sent a 2024 conditional seventh-round pick.

The acquisition of Mullens is interesting, as Mullens is high up on lists for total stats in such a small sample size.

The reaction to the news elicited numerous reactions and analyses across social media.

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.

2022 Minnesota Vikings Season Preview: Quarterbacks

Our season previews begin with the quarterback position

The 2022 season is less than a month away and it’s time to get excited Vikings fans.

In a similar vein to how fans felt when Mike Zimmer took over for Leslie Frazier, the excitement is palpable for the beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era.

While the team prepares for the season, we are doing the same at the Vikings Wire. We will be producing previews breaking down both each position and the team as a whole.

Today, we start with the most important position: quarterback.

Winners and Losers from Vikings preseason loss to Raiders

Winners and losers from the Vikings’ preseason opener.

The Minnesota Vikings just completed their first preseason game, a 26-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night.

While you want to win preseason games, the most important part of them is seeing growth and development from your young players. For the Vikings, they also are using this time to install a new scheme on both sides of the football.

Within the game, there were definite winners and losers based on their performances in the matchup.

Kellen Mond throws 2 TD passes but Vikings fall to Raiders

The Vikings lost to the Raiders in Las Vegas but Kellen Mond threw a pair of TD passes

Kirk Cousins will be the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings once he returns from COVID-19.

Who will be his backup is open to discussion.

The Vikings began their preseason Sunday with a 26-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and both Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond handled the quarterback duties.

Mannion started and went 8-of-12 for 79 yards.

Mond, a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2021, came on and was 9-of-14 for 119 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Albert Wilson.

Mannion is heading into his third season as a Viking after 4 years with the Rams. He has thrown 1 TD pass against 3 interceptions in his NFL career.

Mond barely saw the field in his rookie season, going 2-for-3 for 5 yards.

New coach Kevin O’Connell will eventually decide whether the journeyman Mannin is the backup or if Mond could have a future as the successor to the veteran Cousins.

Report: Sean Mannion expected to start in Vikings’ preseason opener

Sean Mannion is expected to start on Sunday.

Sean Mannion is expected to be the first man under center in the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

The Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson reported the news on Saturday.

In the released unofficial depth chart, Mannion and second-year quarterback Kellen Mond are both listed as No. 2 options behind Kirk Cousins, who is out for the game after testing positive for COVID-19.

This will be the first major opportunity for one of the backups to create some separation in the battle to be the emergency glass case option for the Vikings. Cousins’ absence ahead of the opener is proof of just how important that role could end up being.

The Vikings haven’t ruled out bringing another quarterback into the fold to compete if both Mannion and Mond struggle. In other words, the backup situation is a free-for-all for a team that still has more questions than answers.

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