Is Week 2 of the Preseason Too Early to Panic?

Fresh off the Vikings 14-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there were plenty of alarm bells ringing on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AndyCarlsonShow/status/1030901572895694857

Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the game:

– The Vikings first team offense did not look good at all. Kirk Cousins had several throws that skipped before getting to his wide receivers, and lacked the poise he showed in his preseason debut. Now whether that was due to lackluster offensive line play, or the Jaguars dominant defensive line, Cousins took a step back and will need to regroup to get the offense back on track for week 3.

– Mike Boone has the inside track on the 3rd running back job in my opinion. Especially after his showing Saturday, rushing 13 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. Roc Thomas has shown plenty in the receiving game. But Boone has been extremely active on the ground all preseason so far.

– After missing a field goal Saturday, Kai Forbath was cut today, and rookie Daniel Carlson, will be the Vikings kicker in 2018-19. Carlson hit both of his field goals in week 1 and did well with kickoffs on Saturday. Forbath didn’t boast the same leg as Carlson, and the Vikings didn’t spend a 5th-round draft pick on him in April, so the missed kick on Saturday sealed his fate.

MORE INJURIES!!!

“Minnesota had six players leave the game with injuries and not return. Three players were carted off: defensive end Ade Aruna (knee), offensive lineman Cedrick Lang (lower leg) and fullback Johnny Stanton (lower leg).

Cornerback Mackensie Alexander suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and was listed as questionable to return. Center Josh Andrews injured his ankle at the beginning of the third quarter on an incomplete pass and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. After rookie Jeff Badet caught a 13-yard pass from Kyle Sloter in the fourth quarter, the receiver took a vicious hit to the head that put him in the concussion protocol.”
(Courtney Cronin, via (ESPN)

Alexander appears to have avoided a significant injury, and none of the other injuries occurred to big names, but with a couple of weeks left in the preseason any team hates to lose depth.

– Penalties are going to be out of control. Both teams combined for 20 penalties that totaled 200 yards. The Vikings were one of the least penalized teams in the NFL last year, so seeing them commit 7 penalties on Saturday was very odd. As the NFL continues to tweak its rules changes, there have been plenty of examples of why this new tackling protocol is garbage.

Everyone will have to get used to plays like this now being penalties. It sounds like Zim is getting close to being adjusted.

Mike Hughes continues to show progress and poise. He was given ample playing time Saturday and he responded in a big way. Hughes is looking more and more like another 1st round homerun by Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer.

There’s still plenty of time to get things shored up before the start of the regular season, but what a difference from week 1 to week 2. Hopefully week 3 is more of the good we saw in week 1.

Seth Toupal @SethToups
Minnesota Sports Fan