Overreactions to Week 1 of Vikings Preseason vs the Broncos

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Vikings.com

What a great night. And to think these games don’t even matter. It just proves how much better football is, than every other sport. We have a lot to digest so let’s get started. Here are my quick-twitch Week 1 Preseason Overreaction:

1: Why were we worried about the offensive line? All the starting offensive line did, in their 1st and only drive of this game with the starters, was gash holes open that were big enough for my 3 pet ox to run through, without trampaling anyone. The first run of the night by Latavius Murray went for a cool 20 yards. Still hungry, Murray feasted on another 21 yards on the next play from scrimmage. Latavius would finish with 4 carries and 43 yards. 10 yards per carry is good right?

2: Kirk Cousins was worth every fucking penny. That’s right. I was one of the anti-Cousins’ voices around Vikings Nation back when we were arguing about who would best be suited to lead the Vikings to the promise land. My objections were purely money-related but once Barr signs long-term, those worries will be washed away by the magic calculator of Rob Bryzinski, and the golden arm of Kirk Cousins. It only took one drive for Cousins to show me the light. He and Diggs worked together beautifully as if they hade been together for their entire careers. If Diggs can stay healthy and the offensive line can keep Cousins on his feet (see overreaction #1) we could see fireworks from those two.

3.) Our 1 Defense > Your 1 Defense

4.) Mike Hughes stuck out multiple times with the 2nd group on defense. He made a tackle in space during the 2nd quarter on a WR screen that made Mike Zimmer blush. Another player that’s interesting to watch, as we continue to keep our eyes on Mike Hughes, is Marcus Sherels, who returned 2 punts in the 1st quarter that didn’t go anywhere. Without an offensive or defensive position available for Sherels, our hometown hero needs to splash on special teams if he’s going to keep his job.

5.) Trevor Siemian looked terrible in his first drive but then pulled a 180 and looked marvelous with a TD pass on his second drive. As I typed that sentence, he slung a fastball through two defensive players for a complete first down to David Morgan. Hopefully he never sees the field, but we should all feel pretty comfortable if he has to fill in for a limited time. Kyle Sloter didn’t impress me early and I thought he’d be on my lists of players who didn’t pop off the screen, below, but he finished strong and ended with a stat line of 9/11 for 69 yards and a TD. He also threw a 2 pt conversion.

6.) It is quite clear that neither the referees nor the game announcers have any idea what the new rules are for hitting defenseless players or lowering your helmet in completing a tackle….

7.) Roc Thomas needs a roster spot. Wow.

8.) Daniel Carlson took a big step toward securing his new job and making Rick Spielman smile, after picking him in the 5th round of last year’s draft, he went 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 for 2 on FG’s, the second was from 57 yards out. Now, he just needs to push it into coast mode for the rest of the preseason and the job is likely his.

9.) Players we were hoping to pop that didn’t:

– Laquon Treadwell (new year, same story?)

– Macus Sherels

– Holten Hill

Eric Strack

Minnesota Sports Fan @RealMNSportsFan

Here is the entire YouTube Highlight and a link to the full NFL.com recap:

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