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 37-yard 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 quarterback J.J. McCarthy throughout the game, just like everybody expected there would be. There were times he looked good, like when he dropped a dime to receiver Trishton Jackson deep downfield for a 45-yard touchdown. There were also times he looked not so good like when he tried to do a little too much and threw an interception to Raiders cornerback Jack Jones. All of it was part of the development process for McCarthy, who completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 188 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception. The most encouraging part was that McCarthy went through his progressions and clearly saw when players came open downfield. That can’t always be said about a rookie quarterback.
“I had a certain number of reps in mind,” O’Connell said. “We talk a lot about this development plan. A huge part of it is these real game reps where there are coaches on the sideline. Just him and the defense and the officials out there and I want to see him continue to progress.”
Nailor is worthy of the hype
Not many players have had a better training camp than Nailor. He seems to make a couple of big plays every time he steps on the field at TCO Performance Center and that continued at U.S. Bank Stadium. Nailor recorded three catches for 63 yards before taking a seat so some of his peers could get in on the action. There’s no debate at this point that Nailor is the leader in the clubhouse to be the No. 3 receiver behind Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
“That’s what he’s capable of,” O’Connell said. “We’re going to continue to feed him and give him ops because we’ve always been excited about him.”
Turner recorded a sack
It was an impressive debut for rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner. He got the start with Greenard and Van Ginkel sitting out and immediately made his presence felt with a sack. The sequence showcased Turner’s explosiveness as he dipped and ripped off the edge, then finished the play by taking down Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Not long after, Turner subbed out of the game, presumably because defensive coordinator Brian Flores didn’t need to see anything else.
“I mean Dallas has basically been going against Christian Darrisaw for the better part of a few weeks now,” O’Connell said. “I think he was happy to come to U.S. Bank Stadium and not see No. 71 standing across from him.”
Jackson makes his case
Never mind that Nailor continued his ascension with a solid performance. Not to be outdone, Jackson also rose to the occasion hauling in four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Maybe the biggest thing Jackson showed is that he has clearly built a rapport with McCarthy throughout training camp. Talking to reporters postgame, O’Connell highlighted Jackson’s performance, lauding the way he got open on his 45-yard touchdown reception from McCarthy.
“I thought Trishton did a great job closing the space,” O’Connell said. “Just stepping on the corner’s toes and slipping by him.”
Originally Published:
