The interconference foes will practice against each other again Thursday, before they meet one final time Saturday, at U.S. Bank Stadium, for their officially unofficial week two preseason matchup.

Joint practices crucial for Minnesota Vikings’ preseason plan

Of all the training camp days on Minnesota’s preseason calendar, though, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has made it clear that the 2-4 joint practices they participate in each year are by far the most important, at least for the 53-man roster locks who are just trying to prepare for the upcoming regular season.

In the MN Vikings first preseason game, a 20-10 win over Houston, we did get to see the first team offense (minus Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones and Christian Darrisaw) for one drive. The defensive starters, however, sat out Saturday’s exhibition contest, something most (if not all) will do again in games two and three.

Thus, it’s these joint practices where KOC plans to prepare his starters on both sides of the football, for week one of the regular season (MNF in Chicago on Sept. 8). For those with tickets to Wednesday and Thursday’s joint practices, you will be privy to the most competitive starter reps of all 2025 training camp.

Patriots HC Mike Vrabel taking joint practices vs Vikings VERY seriously…

But the Minnesota Vikings and their coaching staff aren’t the only ones treating this week with high priority. According to Darren “Doogie” Wolfson on Tuesday’s episode of Purple Daily (SKOR North), new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has gone over the top preparing for these joint practice sessions.

The longtime local insider wouldn’t get into exact details, regarding the length Vrabel and the Pats have gone to, in order to prepare for this week. In fact, Doogie can’t help but chuckle as he struggles to verbalize exactly how high the Pat’s level of commitment to these practice sessions really is.

What comes through loud and clear, though, is that Vrabel & Co have gone above and beyond in the preparation department, compared to previous Vikings’ joint practice partners.

“I will tell you, it sounds like Mike Vrabel — [in his] first year, trying to establish a culture with the Patriots — that the emphasis he’s putting on these joint practices, it’s pretty high. I don’t know how much scheming is being done but I’d be curious to hear the exact conversations KOC [is having] with Vrabel.

They’ve done joint practices before, when Mike was head coach of the Titans. I just think the Patriots are putting a VERY heavy emphasis on the next couple days and I don’t know why the Vikings would back down.”

Darren Wolfson – Purple Daily (SKOR North)

No doubt, these next couple of days will get intense. The hope is that Minnesota’s coaching staff will get a better feel of how their depth chart will stack up, come week one of the regular season, and how their talent stacks up against another organization, at each individual position.

I found Wolfson’s report on Vrabel’s buy-in to these joint practices very interesting, especially when I combined it with a conversation I caught Monday, between Minnesota Vikings independent beat reporter, Matthew Coller (Purple Insider), and former Vikings-turned-Patriots beat writer for The Athletic, Chad Graff.

Coller started this episode of the Purple Insider Podcast asking Graff if Vrabel takes these joint practices as seriously as Kevin O’Connell does. In essence, his answer was, ‘probably not’, noting that Vrabel is a classic ‘football guy’ who won’t admit that any one practice or preseason snap is more important than another.

Patriots scout team wearing Minnesota Vikings practice jerseys/numbers

However, it became clear a few moments later, Vrabel is taking these next two days just as seriously as KOC, maybe even more. According to Graff, Patriots sophomore QB Drake Maye and the New England offense have been facing a lot of vanilla defensive sets so far during camp.

So, in order to prepare for Minnesota’s anti-vanilla defense, Mike Vrabel and his coaching staff have spent the last few days trying to make New England’s scout team defense look like purple people eaters by equipping some of them with purple practice jerseys that include uniform numbers of Vikings defenders to watch out for this week.

Graff noted some numbers he recognized and some he didn’t. He specifically mentioned seeing a Harrison Smith (lite) and Ivan Pace Jr (lite). I’d have to imagine there was an Andrew Van Ginkel (lite) and Jonathan Greenard (lite) too.

A couple things I learned from this @Purple_Insider podcast clip with @ChadGraff:

1: The Patriots are pulling out ALL the stops to prep their offense for PRACTICES vs the Vikings defense this week… 👀

2: Vrabel might see it but most of the football world is NOT ready for how… pic.twitter.com/Giucwm0KKs

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 13, 2025

“So today at [Patriots] practice there was, surprisingly, a decent amount of prep [for joint practices vs the Vikings]. And it was a little bit weird for me where they’ve got the [Patriots] offense on one side, and it’s Drake May running these plays and they’ve got the scout team defense going against it.

[Vrabel had the scout team] put on jersey pennies of Vikings players. So there was 0 for [Ivan] Pace and there was 22 for Harrison Smith. And so it’s a little bit jarring for me to see Harrison Smith supposedly running around out there.”

Chad Graff – Purple Insider Podcast with Matt Coller

Related: JJ McCarthy Struggling vs Upgraded Vikings Defense

In the rest of the clip above, Graff goes on to ask Coller if Vrabel is just being paranoid, or if the MN Vikings defense is really going to be that good this year. Of course, those of us who have been paying closer attention than Graff — who is no longer compensated to follow the Vikings — know the answer to that question.

Which begs to question… is the rest of the NFL world really sleeping on Minnesota’s defense again? And it appears the answer to that question is ‘yes’… unless your name is Mike Vrabel and you coach the New England Patriots.

Patriots prep for MN Vikings over-the-top… or smart coaching?

You could easily argue that this preparation is a bit over the top an upcoming joint practice session. But at the same time, if you’re Mike Vrabel, trying to prepare your second-year quarterback for a brand new offense, under OC Josh McDaniels, the last thing you want to do is destroy his confidence.

And given what Brian Flores and the Minnesota defense have been cooking up at TCO Performance Center over the past month, suffocating all of of the young Vikings QBs at training camp, Drake Maye’s self-esteem may very well need protecting.

Related: MN Vikings QB Battle Heating Up – Max Brosmer Uncuttable, Sam Howell in Trouble…?

And there’s no better way to instill confidence than with good preparation. Of course, with such little time to get ready for what the Vikings are about to throw at them, there is no chance Maye and the Patriots offense could simulate the next two days in Eagan.

But at least now they shouldn’t be quite as shocked by the defensive ghosts they’re sure to see at these joint practice sessions. Thus, I guess I cannot fault Vrabel for his over-the-top approach prior to this week.

J.J. McCarthy was under center for Minnesota’s lone home exhibition contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. This time around he’ll be the starting quarterback and look to show off how the offense can click with a new signal caller.

The Vikings open the preseason with both of their home games. Houston comes to town first on August 9th, and they are followed by the New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel will have his team in town for practice too.

New England Patriots in for MN Vikings joint practices

With just three preseason games on the yearly schedule now, it’s the second game that becomes somewhat of a dress rehearsal. J.J. McCarthy will get a week to prepare live against the New England Patriots as they take over TCO Performance Center prior to the game.

The #Vikings are all set for joint practices with the Patriots before their Week 2 preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium. They’ll welcome New England to the TCO Performance Center for the practices.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) May 19, 2025

The Patriots are an especially intriguing opponent for the Minnesota Vikings to both play, and directly practice against. There was plenty of steam that it was Drake Maye who the Vikings coveted most during last year’s NFL Draft. Ultimately New England kept their selection and grabbed the North Carolina product.

Minnesota landed J.J. McCarthy in the first round but didn’t get to see his full development after a knee injury ended his season. This time around Sam Darnold is gone, and Sam Howell is onboard solely as a backup. This is McCarthy’s team to lead.

New England comes into 2025 after a 4-13 record that wound up getting Jerod Mayo fired. Vrabel takes over and has some exciting new rookie talent as well. Offensive tackle Will Campbell was the 4th overall pick, while Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson added offensive firepower in the second round.

Related: NFL Scheduler Reveals How Minnesota Vikings Got Back-to-Back International Games

The joint practices will give McCarthy an additional opportunity to develop rapport with his first unit in a more competitive setting. He was 11-for-17 with a pair of touchdowns and 188 yards against the Raiders last season.

Last season the Patriots were 22nd in the NFL in yards per game allowed. They also gave up the 11th-most points but weren’t awful against the pass. Mike Vrabel will look to establish a better identity in his return to the New England sidelines.

JJ McCarthy showed up to work on Monday with a sore knee, which was revealed as a torn meniscus one day later. On Wednesday, a full meniscus repair procedure was performed, ending his true rookie season in the NFL.

It got worse yesterday, though. On day one of joint practices, Jordan Addison was carted off the field. We later found out he has an ankle injury. It isn’t expected to be severe, but we’ve heard that before. Addison was seen after practice wearing a boot and using crutches.

Minnesota Vikings offense struggles vs Cleveland Browns defense on day one

But Minnesota’s woes so far, surrounding their trip to Cleveland, have gone beyond injuries and health problems. From all reports, the Vikings offense Wednesday was beaten into the turf by the Browns defense. Sam Darnold was under pressure all day, and did not perform very well under fire.

And Darnold just threw a pick on the sideline throwing it toward Jefferson. This is not going well

— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) August 14, 2024

Even Christian Darrisaw, who is considered one of the top left tackles in the National Football League, could not handle Myles Garrett. The Browns’ monster defensive end is widely considered the best pass rusher in football. He looked like it yesterday, pretty much living in the backfield all day.

This, while two of Cleveland’s best defensive linemen, former Vikings Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson, stood on the sideline nursing injuries. Browns defenders were chirping, too.

The Cleveland defense dominated the Vikings offense the entire practice. The Browns intercepted passes, broke up balls, pressured the quarterbacks and talked. A lot.

“We just had more energy than they did,” Cleveland safety Juan Thornhill said.

Mark Craig – Star Tribune

Should we be concerned about ugly first day of joint practice for Vikings offense?

Of course, we have to remember that the Vikings were without Addison for part of the day, but that is no excuse. If it makes you feel even better, the Cleveland Browns offense struggled vs the Minnesota defense and the looks being thrown at Deshaun Watson, by Brian Flores.

Related: Don’t Hold Your Breath on Stephon Gilmore Signing With Vikings

In fact, it does make me feel a little bit better. Nonetheless, this week has put an immediate stop on all that positivity rolling around the franchise and this fanbase, only a few days ago. Hopefully, reports out of Cleveland today are more positive.

Will Kirk Cousins play in the preseason?

But Cousins all but gave away the answer to one question that’s been floating around Minnesota Vikings fans and media members recently. Will the 11-year veteran step on the field for any of the team’s three preseason games. According to Kirk, Kevin O’Connell’s plan currently calls for him to sit the preseason out but plans could change, depending on how their joint practices with the Tennessee Titans (this week) and the Arizona Cardinals (next week) unfold.

Barreiro: “I’m assuming you aren’t going to play at all during the preseason, is that fair to say?”

Cousins: “Yeah, I think we’re kind of week-to-week. I don’t think Kevin wants to be held down to anything. But the key is these joint practices with the Titans and Cardinals. That we get a lot out of those four days (two with each team). So, that’s really where the focus is. Those two practices each week have to be really strong to get the work we need. If we can get to the end of those practices and feel like we got what we needed out of them, I think that’s where Kevin [O’Connell] is heading.”

Dan Barreiro Show – KFAN

It’s possible the Vikings play Kirk Cousins on Saturday night, in the team’s 2nd preseason game vs the Titans, should O’Connell find himself disappointed with what the offense shows during joint practice Wednesday and Thursday (also vs the Titans).

Sitting Cousins makes the most sense.

Still, I imagine things would have to go pretty poorly for the Vikings to parlay a frustrating joint practice into a Kirk Cousins appearance on Saturday night, in a much less controllable environment, just 50-ish hours later. And if Kirk doesn’t play in the 2nd preseason game, I highly doubt we’ll see him in the preseason finale vs Arizona next weekend. Especially after they do two more joint practices with them earlier in the week.

Clearly, coaches across the league would rather get work in for their most important starters through joint practices with opposing teams. The strategy makes sense. This way, they can blow the whistle to stop play or make a change instead of the entire event play out with strict rules like a preseason game.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Niner defensive backs, especially, were all over the Minnesota wide receivers. In 1v1, 7v7 or 11v11, it didn’t matter. Every single video that came out of those joint practices featured SF defensive backs either falling over or grabbing MIN wide receivers. Sometimes, both.

Justin Jefferson inflicts more pain in 49ers CB Ken Crawley #Skol @PFF pic.twitter.com/alVrF1fyBV

— Rick Sosa (@sosarick) August 17, 2022

KOC Asks DeMeco Ryans to Call Off His Dogs

And according to Ben Leber (former Vikings linebacker and current sideline reporter), Kevin O’Connell wasn’t happy about the Niners’ exaggerated aggressiveness. So much so, he told their defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans, to tone it down. This, Leber worried on KFAN’s Power Trip Morning show (Monday), may have been a sign of weakness out of the Vikings’ rookie head coach (07:45 mark – transcribed below).

“There was a time where O’Connell went over to DeMeco Ryans, defensive coordinator for the Niners, and basically had to have a conversation with him about how aggressive the 49ers defense played in one of the practices. That, to me, was a little bit shocking. Because I don’t think you ever have to go over to another coach and say, ‘I think your guys are playing too hard’.” – Ben Leber on Power Trip Morning Show (KFAN)

Leber was so put off when he heard about O’Connell’s request for less aggressiveness, that he dug into this Vikings sources to find out more. Why would KOC make such a move. What Leber was told by Vikings officials, made him feel a bit better.

Post-Whistle Aggressiveness

Apparently, it was aggressiveness AFTER the whistle that was bugging the new Minnesota Vikings head coach. At least, that’s what Leber was told. Still, Ben wasn’t done with O’Connell’s handling of the Niners’ over-aggressiveness.

“The clarification I got was, it was not so much during the play, it was the things that were happening afterward. DeMeco coaches his guys to go after the football at all times. I heard there was a frustration from the offense because the guys would execute the play, the whistle would be blown, and then one or two defensive players would come over and try to punch the ball out. A little extra pushing and shoving afterward. It made me feel a little bit better.”– Ben Leber on Power Trip Morning Show (KFAN)

Oh, well contact after the whistle is different, right? Maybe, but not enough to satisfy a still-flummoxed Ben Leber, who quickly turned his gaze back to KOC. He even went deep into how O’Connell could’ve better handled the Niners’ fighting spirit. Ben makes some great points during his rant, too.

Leber’s Coaching Lessons for KOC

When games start to matter, good defenders are going to try rattling the Vikings’ offensive players. They will punch at the ball and, oftentimes, get away with extracurricular activities both before and after the whistle. If that’s the energy brought on by the Niners last week, KOC should have used it as a chance for his team to grow. Instead, he gave off an impression of weakness. And a former NFL defender immediately picked that up. How do you think current defenders will see it?

But at the same time, I still don’t think that you have to go over to the [opposing] coach and be like, ‘Hey, your guys are being to rough with our offensive players‘. It shouldn’t take you very long to realize that that’s the way they’re coached. If you got a bunch of defensive backs punching at the ball and going after it, you bring your guys back and say, ‘you see what those [DBs] are doing? You’re going to get that in a football game. You’re going to get that in a real game. These guys are coming to work on their trade, which is to get the ball out and create turnovers. We need that.’ So, accept the challenge. Don’t go up to the defensive coordinator, at the end of practice, and be like ‘your guys are too aggressive’.”– Ben Leber on Power Trip Morning Show (KFAN)

O’Connell made it clear to Minnesota Vikings players that fights would not be tolerated during joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers. But that was a message reportedly echoed by the Niners, to their players, too. Yet, they still brought that fire. A fire the rookie Vikings coach wasn’t willing to match.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan