Ryan Wright Dazzles, Vikings Fall 23-13 to Broncos in Preseason Finale
For a second consecutive year, the Vikings have gone winless in the preseason. They completed an 0-3 August slate with their seventh consecutive preseason loss, falling 23-13 to the Broncos on Saturday night in Denver.
Ultimately, the result is meaningless. These games were about evaluating players on the roster bubble, preserving the health of the starters, and getting ready for the regular season. Now the focus turns to roster cutdown day on Tuesday and the Packers coming to Minneapolis for the season opener on September 11th.
The Vikings held 33 players out of this game, including virtually all of their starters. They then lost four players — DL T.Y. McGill Jr., LB Troy Dye, WR Jalen Nailor, and WR Bisi Johnson — to injuries over the course of the night, which helps explain why the starters didn't play. Hopefully none of the injuries are serious.
Sean Mannion started the game at quarterback for the Vikings and played the entire first half, going 9 for 16 for 121 yards. He led a touchdown drive in the second quarter, with rookie running back Bryant Koback punching it in from a yard out to put the Vikings up 7-3. Later in the quarter, Mannion was stripped and watched the fumble get returned for a touchdown as the Broncos extended their lead to 17-7. He also very nearly threw a pick-six, but the ball was dropped by Denver LB Alex Singleton.
Kellen Mond got the second half. Newly-acquired QB Nate Mullens, the presumed backup who is still learning the offense, didn't play. Mond went 10 for 17 for 102 yards, making a few nice throws but also missing some throws and taking four of the Broncos' five sacks. He was unable to help mount a comeback.
Special teams provided most of the highlights for the Vikings in this one. Rookie punter Ryan Wright, now the Vikings' only punter after Jordan Berry was released earlier in the week, was the star of the night.
Wright punted four times for 225 yards, good for an average of 56.3 yards per punt. And that's brought down by his first punt, a 38-yarder that went out of bounds inside the Broncos' ten yard-line. Wright's next punt was a 48-yarder to the Denver 6 that was returned for four yards. He was just getting warmed up. Early in the third quarter, Wright boomed an absolutely magical 68-yard punt that came to a stop on its own at the Broncos' 2. It was a sight to behold.
Not long after that, Wright nearly did it again. He sent another majestic punt into the Denver night sky, but didn't get the same great bounce as it went into the end zone for a 71-yard touchback (51 yards of net). Wright, who is massive for his position at 6'3", 245 pounds, showed why the Vikings chose him over Berry. The rookie out of Tulane was the best part of an otherwise mostly uneventful game.
In other special teams news, Greg Joseph drilled field goals from 46 and 58 yards out and Ihmir Smith-Marsette ripped off a 21-yard punt return in the fourth quarter.
There were a few standout individual performances for the Vikings in the loss. In addition to his punt returner, Smith-Marsette was the team's leading receiver with three catches for 63 yards. Ty Chandler picked up 44 yards on five carries, highlighted by an impressive 25-yard burst. Zach Davidson also had a much-needed solid game, catching four passes for 47 yards. Defensively, safety Myles Dorn was all over the field with six tackles and two pass deflections, one of which bounced into Luiji Vilain's hands for an interception.
With so many Vikings players sitting out or leaving the game with injuries, this was an opportunity for undrafted rookies like Mike Brown, William Kwenkeu, and Bryant Koback to play a ton. Many of the players in action on Saturday will be cut on Tuesday, but some will stick around on Minnesota's practice squad or get an opportunity with another team based on what they put on tape this month.
James Lynch and Kris Boyd are among the bubble players who saw a ton of snaps in this game for the Vikings. Offensively, Chris Reed made his preseason debut and saw some time at center.
The preseason is over. It's time to turn our sights towards the real thing.
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