Vikings Backup QBs Struggle Again in 12-10 Preseason Loss to Colts
Through two preseason games, the Vikings' offense has scored a grand total of nine points.
After being held to 6 points in the opener against the Broncos, the Vikings managed just a single field goal in a 12-10 loss to the Colts on Saturday night, with their lone touchdown coming on a Troy Dye deflected pick-six.
The Vikings played most of their starters for a little over a quarter, but couldn't generate any offense. Then Jake Browning and Kellen Mond took over at quarterback and continued to struggle mightily, raising serious concerns about the team's depth at quarterback.
Minnesota was shut out in the second half for a second straight game and watched the Colts turn a 7-3 deficit into a 12-10 victory with four field goals.
Just like last week, this didn't tell us a whole lot in terms of what we'll see in the regular season. But one thing is for sure: if Kirk Cousins gets hurt or has to go on the COVID list at any point, the Vikings are going to be in deep trouble.
Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, Danielle Hunter, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, and Patrick Peterson are among the Vikings stars who didn't play in this game. Adam Thielen had one target, took a hit, and was taken out as a precaution.
Let's get to some takeaways from a fairly uneventful game.
Backup linebackers shine
An important part of the preseason is evaluating the depth of your roster. The Vikings are searching for backup players, regardless of position, who can give them quality play if their number is called.
The news on that front is mostly bad through two games, but several backup linebackers impressed on Saturday night. Blake Lynch, getting a chance to play with the starters while Anthony Barr is hurt, made a great play for a tackle for loss in the first quarter. Dye had the pick six, a QB hit, and another pass breakup. Chazz Surratt led both teams with nine tackles, including a TFL, and was all over the place. The third-round pick even laid down a big hit on special teams.
Not much has gone well for the Vikings during this preseason, but the play of that trio of backup linebackers was a bright spot. It might be hard to cut any of them when setting a 53-man roster. I had the Vikings keeping Lynch and Surratt and cutting Dye in my latest projection, but maybe they'll keep all three for a total of six linebackers.
Starting OL and DL impress, mostly
The biggest positive takeaway from the time the Vikings' starters spent on the field is that they looked good in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The Vikings debuts for massive defensive tackles Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson didn't disappoint. They were a load in the middle of the D-line, holding Colts running backs to 27 yards on their first nine carries. With those two up front and Eric Kendricks behind them, it seems like it's going to be awfully tough to run the ball on the Vikings this year.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings' offensive line was its usual excellent self in the running game. Guards Ezra Cleveland and Oli Udoh appeared to play well in opening up holes for Ameer Abdullah to run through.
With that said, the left tackle spot remains a concern. Rashod Hill was beaten badly by rookie Kwity Paye for a sack. Until Christian Darrisaw gets healthy, that might be one of the biggest weaknesses of the first-team offense.
Cousins doesn't do much
The Vikings gave Kirk Cousins three series in his first action of the preseason. They were fairly uneventful.
On the first, the Vikings picked up one first down and then Adam Thielen couldn't hold onto the ball on third down after getting popped. The second was a three-and-out when Cousins threw short of the sticks on 3rd and 7. The Vikings were running the ball well on the final possession with the starters in before the Paye sack ruined the drive.
Cousins finished his evening 5 of 7 for 23 yards and a nine-yard scramble. All of his completions went to running backs or tight ends. In fact, the Vikings didn't have a completion to a wide receiver until after the two-minute warning in the second quarter.
Browning and Mond continue to struggle
When Cousins left the game, things got even uglier for the Vikings' offense.
Jake Browning played the final four series of the second quarter and had a really rough outing. After it looked like he had wrapped up the Vikings' backup quarterback job early in training camp, these two preseason games have gone about as poorly as possible for him.
He didn't throw a pick-six this week, but Browning's accuracy was way off again. He missed several wide open receivers and wasn't on the same page with his targets other times. The offense went three and out in each of Browning's first two possessions, gaining a total of three yards. He connected with Chad Beebe a couple times in the two-minute drill, but the drive stalled and the Vikings settled for a field goal.
Then, after getting the ball back with 11 seconds left, Browning couldn't get a Hail Mary to reach the end zone. He finished 6 of 15 for 82 yards.
Mond wasn't any better, going 6 of 12 for 61 yards in the second half. He continues to have opportunities to gain steam in the backup competition due to Browning's poor play, but has demonstrated that he needs a lot of development before becoming a potentially reliable QB. This week's performance was a bit of a step back from Mond after he showed some encouraging things in his debut.
There were a few highlights, including a nice 26-yard throw to Ihmir Smith-Marsette that was called back because of a holding penalty. But for the most part, Mond was really shaky. He fumbled a handoff on his first play and missed some very simple throws.
At this point, it's worth wondering whether or not the Vikings should look to bring in a veteran backup QB. Perhaps Sean Mannion, the team's backup for the past two seasons, will get cut by the Seahawks and be available. At this point, it doesn't look like either Browning or Mond would be capable of keeping the offense afloat if Cousins has to miss time.
Other players who stood out
- Ihmir Smith-Marsette looks good as a returner. He had a 41-yard kickoff return from deep in the end zone and a 16-yard punt return on Saturday. Each of those surpassed the Vikings' longest return in those areas in all of the 2020 season (38 yards and 13 yards, respectively).
- Bashaud Breeland had a really good game and showed why he's going to be a starting outside cornerback this year. He deflected the ball that led to the Dye pick-six, and later made a nice breakup on a third down. Breeland was very sticky in coverage. Meanwhile, it seems like Cameron Dantzler may have even been surpassed by Kris Boyd on the depth chart at CB.
- Chad Beebe made his case for a roster spot with two catches for 47 yards in the two-minute drill before the half.
- Armon Watts continues to play well, showcasing the Vikings' impressive depth at defensive tackle. He beat his man and put a hit on a Colts QB, nearly leading to another interception for Dye.
- Britton Colquitt had a much better day punting the ball this week. He averaged 46.1 yards on eight punts, landing three of them inside the 20.
- Greg Joseph went 1 for 2 on long field goals, missing wide right from 51 yards out and converting from 49.
The Vikings wrap up the preseason next Friday in Kansas City. It sounds like some starters could play in that game again, especially on offense.
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