Hall, KOC shine in final preseason game

Vikings crushed the Eagles in a big game for the QB

© Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports

---

By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles in their last preseason game of the year, winning 26-3 in a game highlighted by the QB, HC and kicker.

Here’s what stood out…

Who started?

Offense

QB: Jaren Hall

RB: Myles Gaskin

WR: Trishton Jackson, Lucky Jackson, Trent Sherfield

TE: N’Keal Harry

OL: David Quessenberry, Henry Byrd, Michael Jurgens, Tyrese Robinson, Walter Rouse

Takeaways:

The wide receiver battle might be coming down to the wire. From Trishton Jackson’s performance throughout the summer and preseason, it seems that it would be difficult to cut him but Sherfield has been repeatedly praised by the coaching staff for bringing a different element i.e. run blocking/special teams. Will they keep both?

There are decisions to be made on the offensive line that could be influenced by Saturday’s performance as well. Michael Jurgens having versatility at center and guard could help his case by Tyrese Robinson has had a good preseason.

Defense

OLB: Jihad Ward, Andre Carter

DT: Jaquelin Roy, James Lynch, Levi Drake Rodriguez

LB: Brian Asamoah, Dallas Gant

CB: Akayleb Evans, Fabian Moreau, Duke Shelley

S: Lewis Cine, Bobby McCain

Takeaways:

The outside linebacker unit is deep. There could be a decision to make between Ward and Carter. The veteran Ward has rushed in different packages in practice and joint practices with the Browns, which made it appear that he might be making the team but playing in the third preseason game makes that more questionable.

The same goes for Evans and Moreau. Will they pick between the two? Standout UDFA Dwight McGlothern and second-year player Jay Ward came in with the second grouping.

Is there a choice between Cine and McCain or will neither make the 53?

Jaren Hall on fire

The 2023 fifth-round pick from BYU shined in the first half against the Eagles, hitting on 15 of 21 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He threw the ball with good timing and accuracy, hitting on several impressive throws including a throw to Lucky Jackson that should have been a touchdown on the opening drive if not for Jackson only keeping one foot in bounds and then a touchdown pass over the middle to Trishton Jackson and then a line drive seam pass to tight end N’Keal Harry that set up a field goal on the second drive.

There were a couple negatives to his overall strong first half. An interception on an overthrow was negated by a Philly penalty. Hall also took two sacks and missed on a chance to score another TD toward the end of the first half.

With a big sample size of the Vikings’ staff seeing Hall in action, the final preseason game shouldn’t have a massive impact on whether he makes the team but he did leave them with a strong final impression before cutdown day.

To start the the second half, Hall found DeWayne McBride on a swing pass that brought the Vikings to the goal line. When he attempted to make an off-schedule throw, Hall took a huge hit and was taken out of the game after that. Hall finished 17-25 for 189 yards and two TDs.

Defense stands out

Against former Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, the Vikings’ defense gave up almost nothing. They allowed three points, 58 yards passing and 50 yards rushing. Defensive tackle Jalen Redmond recovered a fumble early in the half and later on cornerback Dwight McGlothern took down the Eagles’ RB on a fourth down to cause a turnover on downs.

Lewis Cine didn’t have the same impact as he did against Cleveland, missing a tackle and getting a penalty called for pass interference.

To start the second half Andre Carter II had a strip sack of Tanner McKee that James Lynch recovered.

Before the end of the third quarter, Dallas Gant had good coverage on a third down in the red zone and McGlothern pressured the QB to force a throwaway on fourth down.

When the Eagles got a late chance in the red zone, Jay Ward intercepted a tipped pass to keep them from scoring.

KOC on the broadcast was a highlight

The Vikings mic’d up the head coach and it instantly paid dividends. O’Connell previewed plays and talked about where Jaren Hall was supposed to be looking, even identifying which linebacker could potentially blow up a screen play. Then when Hall took a big hit, O’Connell addressed the play with the refs, shutting off his mic briefly but eventually saying, “I didn’t like that at all” and telling the broadcast that Hall was going to be OK after the hit.

When Matt Corral got sacked, O’Connell talked about the type of blitz the Eagles sent and how they should have blocked it up.

KOC was asked about defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez and called him a “high motor” player who “just plays hard” and then LDR tipped a pass and chased down a screen on the subsequent two plays.

“I love seeing 50… you see the hair going crazy and you see it on tape every single day,” KOC said.

O’Connell then challenged a play and then talked to the referees on the broadcast, saying the QB was “short of the line to gain… significantly.”

KOC then explained what he saw on the replay and how he leans on Ryan Cordell, the game management specialist and pass game coordinator to help him from the booth with challenges.

He then went through the thought process of play calling that OC Wes Phillips was going through.

KOC broke down the type of punt that they were going to try to execute.

“What I want to see Ryan Wright do right now is put one high in the sky inside the 10,” he said.

The broadcast started talking about topics with him after things calmed down a bit. KOC said that he has “enjoyed coaching” Sam Darnold and raved about his physical talent.

On Trishton Jackson, he said:

“Trishton was one of my first calls after the 2020 draft when I was with the Rams…this is a guy that I’ve been a big fan of and he’s had a great camp.”

Before signing off, KOC broke down what he would call on a fourth down call and then went to the referee again about a McGlothern pressure where he grabbed the QB “in the grasp” but the play wasn’t blown dead.

O’Connell seemed to genuinely have a fun time breaking down plays and explaining the game to fans. While he answered some other questions about players and the stadium, the most compelling TV was KOC providing a perspective on plays and interactions with players/refs that only he has on the sideline.

Special teams

Will Reichard was sharp again, going 4-for-4. He called the day with a bomb from 57 yards away.

Ryan Wright shanked one punt and then was able to draw a fair catch inside the 15-yard line but didn’t quite pin it as deep as they wanted. Lucky Jackson had a solid 12-yard punt return and the kick returners were unspectacular with a 28-yarder from Jaylin Williams a 19-yard return from Malik Knowles.

---