Off-The-Cuff Preseason Week 2 Thoughts: Titans vs. Vikings

I jotted down some thoughts from watching the Vikings preseason game. I reserve the right to change my mind on these upon game review.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The Vikings lost to the Titans 24-16 in the second week of the preseason, and like any other preseason affair, it didn’t matter. Despite the loss, there was more to like from the Vikings than to be disappointed by. There seems to be reason for optimism.

I wrote down quick notes during the game that are subject to change upon film review. These thoughts won’t be behind a paywall, but any follow-up based on review of the game will be, should time allow.

Quick Player Notes After the Vikings Preseason Week 2 Game Against the Titans

Lewis Cine

I don’t know what to make of Lewis Cine. His first play looked great, getting to the ball and completing the tackle. He also earned a sack with smart play and solid fundamentals on a scrambling quarterback. He finished with seven combined tackles, six of them solo.

But the game might still have been a net negative for him. On top of getting hurdled on a running play – one where Julius Chestnut ran for a big gain – Cine was inconsistent about his ability to read plays quickly and get to his landmarks. It was a better game than last week, but that wasn’t a high bar.

Ty Chandler

Ty Chandler has been impressive in practices and he performed well against Seattle. Though his numbers against the Titans in the second preseason game are pedestrian, his actual play was excellent (2.2 yards per carry). He rarely went down on first contact, made decisions quickly and accurately as a runner and showed up in the passing game.

There are reasons to be concerned about Kene Nwangwu’s refinement as a running back and with his camp injury keeping him out of the first two preseason games, we have little evidence that he’s developed as a runner. Chandler, on the other hand, looks like a complete back that may be called upon during the season to take on a primary role.

The primary thinking among those who cover the Vikings is that Chandler has overtaken Nwangwu as the second back. It’s hard to tell without Nwangwu participating, but it is worth noting that Nwangwu took those second-team snaps when healthy.

DeWayne McBride

After the Vikings added multiple running backs to the roster and asked DeWayne McBride to return kicks against the Seahawks, it seemed like he was on the outside looking in. But he put together some good runs and a solid catch – despite the concerns coming out of college that he couldn’t participate in the passing game. Adding tough yardage in the form of a touchdown wasn’t bad either.

While Chandler and McBride saw better blocking than they did last week, it would be difficult to characterize it as “good” blocking. A lot of their production came from playcalling and individual effort. Like Chandler, his rate statistics – 3.0 yards per carry – weren’t impressive, but he played well. Given that he had some short-yardage assignments, it’s also not surprising to see

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Nick Mullens

Mullens played much better in the second game than the first one, though there were some mistakes – almost all of them coming with pressure. He avoided a narrow pick throwing into double coverage but otherwise did an excellent job both when throwing from play action and on standard passing plays.

Not only did he generally make the correct reads, he played with accuracy. Even some of his incompletions were otherwise accurate throws. Mullens didn’t showcase a big arm or anything but his case to be a long-term backup quarterback was solidified on Saturday night.

Inconsistent play when throwing to the outside is the reason that Mullens ended with a 76.5 passer rating despite never logging an interception. He is clearly a caretaker quarterback and doesn’t have much of an argument to become a starter

Jaren Hall

Hall played well against the Titans, which is also a nice contrast to his game against Seattle. His statistics don’t do a very good job telling the story as he was the victim of multiple receiver drops and a dodgy offensive line, but he generally made the right decision, stepped up in the pocket and found ways to get the ball in winning locations for the receiver.

He still doesn’t play with astounding timing or accuracy, but it was a nice change from his initial showing for the team. Given that the Vikings apparently signed a quarterback – the XFL’s Jordan Ta’amu has not yet been announced as having signed with the team – there was pressure on Hall to perform, even as a developmental rookie.

Linebackers

I hope to see more upon review, but I wasn’t particularly struck by the linebacker play positive or negative. Of course, Troy Dye’s interception was fantastic — both in terms of the actual catch and the process to get the pick — but we didn’t see much else from him. Troy Reeder was burned twice by Chestnut but otherwise found his run keys. Ivan Pace Jr. had a quiet game, but when he was on the field seemed rarely responsible for busts in the run game.

The defense had trouble lining up and that is traditionally on the linebackers. The Vikings and Brian Flores have put much more on the safeties in this regard, but it still feels like a failure of the backup linebackers that we consistently saw issues — even though I wouldn’t blame them for the Jay Ward mixup involving ten defenders.

NaJee Thompson

It seems like cornerback NaJee Thompson was born to play special teams. After a very strong showing a week ago, he showed up again in preseason Week 2 with an incredible stop on the punt team. Later in the game, we saw receiver Jacob Copeland with a similar free shot at the punt returner and he whiffed entirely – it’s not automatic once you get there. And getting there in the first place isn’t easy, either.

It’s hard to see a scenario where Thompson misses out on making the 53-man roster. Though we saw Kalon Barnes make a difference as a punt gunner, it wasn’t as impactful as Thompson’s play and we saw Barnes make mistakes in coverage.

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Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that Thompson suffered concussion-like symptoms after this play and will be in the protocol.

Oli Udoh

Oli Udoh was subject to two penalties early against the Titans and had trouble with pass protection aside. Udoh gave up a second-quarter pressure resulting in a near-sack and overall found himself losing on the edge quickly. The fact that his worst snap occurred on a player moving to the inside, where he should be playing better, is even more concerning.

Udoh doesn’t have a great argument to make the roster ahead of Vederian Lowe and though Blake Brandel is listed as a guard — and had some moments of rust — I would prefer him to kick out to tackle during the season should any injuries force the issue.

He wasn’t the only one to struggle — Austin Schlottman had significant problems

Tight Ends

Knowing that the Vikings have the “best third tight end” in the NFL might be exciting but the Vikings have genuinely demonstrated some exciting depth throughout the preseason. Nick Muse was heavily targeted in the first preseason game – albeit with an offensive pass interference penalty – and showed up again against the Titans. He ended with three receptions for 46 yards.

On top of that, we saw some phenomenal plays from Ben Sims. One was a screen that went five yards, but another reception went for 33. He also demonstrated some blocking prowess as both a pass protector and run blocker. The tight end involvement – which also included passes to Colin Thompson – might be a clue into how the Vikings offense will play out this season, with heavier participation than we saw last year.

Benton Whitley

It was kind of surprising to see how well Benton Whitley played. He logged multiple pressures and even made contact with the quarterback twice. He lost contain against Malik Willis once, but it was overall a good play. He outplayed the more well-regarded Luiji Vilain while both were on the field at the same time and made a great argument to be put on the practice squad after cutdown day.

Andre Carter was up-and-down from what I could tell, though his worst play came as he dropped back into coverage. Those are forgivable, though we didn’t see him generate much pressure on his own, making his best plays as a result of hustle more than technical proficiency.