Vikings Starters to See 'Minimal' Playing Time in Preseason Opener vs. Broncos

Despite the Vikings only having three preseason games this season compared to the usual four, don't expect Mike Zimmer to play his starters any more during Saturday's preseason game against the Denver Broncos than he would in a typical August opener.

The starters will see "minimal" playing time — likely no more than one or two series — according to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling.

The #Vikings’ starters will see minimal playing time in the preseason opener against the Broncos on Saturday, sources say. The plan sounds similar to each of the team’s six preseason openers under Mike Zimmer, when starters get a series or two.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) August 13, 2021

It'll be good for Kirk Cousins and company to get some game action for the first time this year, but it won't be much.

Update: turns out the starters won't be playing at all. The Vikings announced that 30 players won't see any action in the preseason opener today.

So who is likely to play, and play a lot, on Saturday? We can make some educated guesses based on recent comments from Zimmer.

Cousins and the starting offense will get a series or two. Christian Darrisaw obviously won't be included in that unit, as he just had a second procedure on his lingering groin injury. Justin Jefferson almost certainly will not play; he hasn't practiced since injuring his shoulder a week ago. Dalvin Cook may or may not get some action.

"Two years ago we had a preseason game and we played Arizona and I didn’t even know I was gonna play in the game and [Zimmer] came to me before the game," Cook said this week. "I was just doing my natural warm up and going through my warm up and he asked me if I want to play and I was like yeah I want to play. I was ready to play. I’m going to be ready to play whenever he calls my number. I’m in shape to carry the football so whenever he call my number we’re going to be ready. If it’s Saturday, whenever it is, I’ll be ready to play."

In that game, the third of four in the 2019 preseason, Cook had exactly two carries, one of which was an 85-yard touchdown run.

It'll be a lot of second and third-string players on offense, but rookie QB Kellen Mond won't be among them, Zimmer said this week. Mond just returned from the Reserve/COVID list earlier this week. I'd expect Jake Browning to get the lion's share of the work at quarterback, with Nate Stanley and/or Danny Etling potentially getting mixed in during the second half. Stanley's health is a question mark, though, after he missed both joint practices with Denver.

Other players to watch on offense include Rashod Hill, Oli Udoh, and the rest of the offensive line, K.J. Osborn, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Kene Nwangwu, and a variety of other young players fighting for roster spots.

Defensively, the story is the same. The veteran-heavy starting defense won't see much time. Danielle Hunter did say this week that he thinks it's important to get some reps in the preseason, to "go out there and have a feel for what it’s like again," while still being smart about saving himself for the games that count.

I'd expect the starters on both sides to play a decent amount in the second preseason game, next Saturday night against the Colts in Minneapolis. Usually, the third game sees the starters play the most, while the final game is mostly guys on the roster bubble, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out with one fewer game. The Vikings' final game of this preseason is Friday, August 27th, in Kansas City.

Some young defensive players to watch against the Broncos include D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Armon Watts, James Lynch, Chazz Surratt, Camryn Bynum, Myles Dorn, and Harrison Hand.

Greg Joseph will get all of the reps at kicker against the Broncos, Zimmer said.

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