If the games counted, that wouldn’t have been great.
The Minnesota Vikings opened up their preseason with a 24-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Despite opening the game with a double-digit, the Vikings imploded in the second half, allowing 17 points in the final two frames.
The good news is, inherently, the results from preseason don’t matter. Winning is practically pointless in the preseason, and it’s more about evaluating how players panned out.
As a result, grading preseason games is an exercise in understanding context and why those things matter. With that said, here are the Vikings’ grades from their first preseason game of 2023.
Quarterback: C+
When Nick Mullens, who started the game for the Vikings, wasn’t seeing a sea of blue jerseys breathing down his neck, there was plenty to like. He was quick in taking what the defense gave him (which often wasn’t a lot) while understanding where his check-down route was and when they’d be available.
The problem with Mullens’s performance is that some of his throws were legitimate “hospital balls” that could have led to an injury. For example, Mullens connected with Brandon Powell over the middle in the first quarter, and while the pass was complete, the throw led to a major hit from the safety.
Mullens was replaced by rookie Jaren Hall, who struggled to find much of anything in his first NFL action. Hall completed just six of his 14 passes for 37 yards, and the offense looked rather sluggish when he was on the field. Hall deserves a pass for his struggles because it was his first-ever NFL game, but it needs to get better moving forward if he’ll have any shot of unseating Mullens as the backup.
Overall, this is a fairly respectable ‘C+’ grade. The quarterbacks didn’t do anything groundbreaking, but Mullens found ways to move the offense, and that’s enough for this grade.
Running back: B
Running back Ty Chandler is as advertised, and then some. Chandler drew the start in place of Alexander Mattison, and while he didn’t do enough to make Mattison’s spot a conversation, the second-year pro helped his case to be named the team’s backup running back.
Whether it was through the air on the ground, Chandler ran with a sense of authority and purpose and found holes to make things happen. There was never a time where it felt like Chandler fell at first contact, and that’s worth something in the NFL.
The same can’t be said for DeWayne McBride and Abram Smith, though, who struggled when the ball was in their hands. The two combined for 33 yards on 13 carries, with the longest run totaling just seven yards.
The Vikings have a lot of question marks at the running back position, and it’s fair to say that the first preseason game didn’t exactly do enough to alleviate those concerns with any authority. In fact, it might leave some feeling a little more uneasy about the team’s ability to run the football consistently.
Receivers: A
This might be a slight overreaction, but there were far more positives than negatives, and plenty of players helped their chances of making the active roster.
Tight end Nick Muse caught the Vikings’ only touchdown of the game when he leaped like a playful cat to haul in a catch near the back of the end zone. It was arguably the most impressive catch from either team and for a player likely fighting for a backend roster spot, it’ll be enough to get his name on the radar.
The same goes for Jalen Reagor, who looked closer to the talent that led to a first-round pick in the NFL Draft. There weren’t a lot of highlight plays, but there was plenty of consistency, and that’s half the battle for a team that might only keep five wide receivers.
Offensive Line: D-
The offensive line would’ve earned a better grade if they were purely graded on run blocking when Ty Chandler was in the game. The problem is that blocking for Chandler isn’t their only responsibility.
For most of the night, the offensive line was getting blown up by the Seahawks’ stunts and pass rush, and it put both quarterbacks into some awful positions to try and operate. Yes, some of these stunts were well-executed, and both sides get paid, but the offensive line needs to be better, point blank.
Defensive front: B+
Up until Bryant Koback and Holton Ahlers started shredding the defense, the Vikings’ defensive line was nothing short of dominating.
Khyiris Tonga was a force in the interior. Jonathan Bullard impressed in the first half, and the group as a whole kept the Seahawks’ rushing attack quiet. All of that is good news considering Dean Lowry and Harrison Phillips didn’t play.
Outside of the defensive line, Patrick Jones II and Luiji Vilain, who might be on a similar tier in terms of roster future, made claims to stick on the roster.
This room might still be a slight work in progress, but there were enough positives through one preseason game to feel confident about where this group is heading.
Linebacker: C+
Jordan Hicks and Brian Asamoah II were both kept out of the preseason opener, with linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr. getting a huge opportunity to impress coaches in this place.
To make a long story short, Pace did that. The undrafted rookie was particularly energized and found ways to impact the game, even if it wasn’t always perfect. And it was never going to be perfect either; Pace is a rollercoaster of a player, and as long as there are more peaks than valleys, the Vikings are well set up.
The other Vikings’ linebackers were fairly non-existent. There weren’t enough consistent plays from the likes of Troy Reeder and Troy Dye, but Dye was likely better than Reeder.
If this was a Pace grade, it would be higher. But this is an entire unit grade, and there wasn’t enough from the rest to keep that grade high.
Secondary: C+
No unit on the Vikings was more of an up-and-down watch than the secondary.
Mekhi Blackmon had an impressive pass breakup in the first half but got called for defensive pass interference later on for getting too handsy at the break of a route. Jaylin Williams hauled in an interception, but Kalon Barnes got burned for a huge gain in the fourth quarter. Andrew Booth, Jr. also got burned for a touchdown by Jake Bobo in the second half.
In the safety room, Lewis Cine showcased the range that made teams fall in love with him, but was often caught tackling too high and missed some attempts throughout the game. Josh Metellus was impressive as a box safety, but Jay Ward got caught in poor positions in the second half.
You get the point.
There were positives early on, but the negatives are hard to forget, and it’s why their grade is rather pedestrian. If any group needs to raise their floor in the team’s second preseason game, it’s this one.
Special teams: B
Greg Joseph made both of his attempts, including a 54-yard field goal attempt in the first half and for a kicker in the middle of a supposed competition, that 54-yard field goal must’ve felt like a million bucks.
In the punting game, Ryan Wright was impressive in angling his kicks toward the sideline, while punt gunner NaJee Thompson was one of the game’s standouts.
On the other side of things, Thayer Thomas muffed a punt, and McBride struggled in kick return duties. The Vikings are still hunting for a return man, and that competition didn’t get any clearer on Thursday night.
