The Minnesota Vikings impressed early on but struggled in the second half in a 24-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Lumen Field.
The game was really the tale of two halves, as the Vikings second team looked pretty good against the Seahawks, but couldn’t keep the momentum going when the third teamers replaced them.
You want to win every game, but winning isn’t the most important thing in the preseason. It’s about the performances and exhibiting growth. Here are the studs and duds from the first preseason game.
Stud: RB Ty Chandler
With Alexander Mattison sitting out and Kene Nwangwu injured, Ty Chandler got the most snaps at running back and he took advantage of it. Despite some poor blocking, Chandler displayed really good burst and vision consistently, along with catching passes comfortably out of the backfield. With RB2 firmly up for grabs, Chandler added a lot to his resume.
Stud: Special Teams Weapon NaJee Thompson
While NaJee Thompson might be listed as a cornerback, in reality, he’s a special teams weapon. Thompson was all over the field on special teams. He was all over the punt returner on each punt, including getting a tackle right at the catch point and downing the ball inside the two. It might be difficult for him to make the roster
Dud: S Lewis Cine
The Vikings drafted Lewis Cine to be a defensive weapon on the back end, but it hasn’t happened for a myriad of reasons. Cine got blown up a few times by both blockers and ball carriers. One of the reasons that he did was his tackling form. Cine is trying to tackle guys too high and essentially standing up. That is fixable, but it’s a concern.
Stud: OLB Luiji Vilain
Early and often on Thursday night, Luiji Vilain was impacting the game. He was getting pressure on the quarterback early and often, including a sack. With most of the edge rushers sitting out, Vilain had a big opportunity to make an impact and he did just that.
Stud: ILB Ivan Pace Jr.
Training camp wasn’t a fluke for Ivan Pace Jr. It has translated to the preseason and he looks like a physical weapon. Throughout the night, Pace was using his body as a battering ram against offensive linemen and annihilating running backs in the lane, including one rep where he did both. Pace feels like a lock to make the 53-man roster at this point.
Dud: CB Andrew Booth Jr.
Much like Cine, Andrew Booth Jr. had an unfortunate rookie season. He played less than 200 snaps and had his season ended with a torn meniscus. At the end of the third quarter, he allowed wide receiver Jake Bobo to get behind him easily for a short touchdown. Rough rep from Booth who is already receiving criticism from the fanbase.
Neither: QB Jaren Hall
Nothing that Jaren Hall did on Thursday night was bad, but there wasn’t a lot of good to pair with it. He did make a nice 19-yard throw to N’Keal Harry on a fade route, but the offensive line struggled to give him any time. He did throw the ball away on his own accord, which is a good thing, but was a tad to quick to bail the pocket. We didn’t learn much at all about Hall in this game, but we will over the next two preseason games.
Dud: CB Kalon Barnes
The Vikings allowed what looked like a meme touchdown as Seahawks quarterback Holton Ahlers threw up a lame-duck pass to the right sideline and Kalon Barnes was thrown around like a rag doll by Matt Landers who ran in for an easy touchdown. It’s one thing to get beaten on a jump ball, but you can’t let a wide receiver get you down like that. 100% inexcusable.
