Vikings/Colts preview: Everything you need to watch for
It's rare that 'bouncing back' matters in the preseason but this one is a little different
By Matthew Coller
Are you ready for some Saturday night football (even if it doesn’t count and the teams aren’t game planning)?
The Minnesota Vikings will play their second preseason game on Saturday night at US Bank Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts and — snark aside — there are a bunch of things to watch closely, from position battles to the overall feeling of the team coming out of the game. Let’s have a look at all the most pressing questions…
How many snaps with the starters play?
Michael Pierce was very excited to announce at the podium earlier this week that he is going to see some game action, so it appears we’ll see at least some dose of the starters. We can’t expect much workload though. In the 2019 preseason, Kirk Cousins made three appearances and threw four times in the first game, eight times in the second preseason contest and 13 in the “dress rehearsal.” Since the entire concept of dress rehearsals has mostly been cast aside by the NFL, we’re probably looking at two or three drives, depending on how things go.
Ironically, this is the portion of the game with the least meaning. In 2019 Cousins had a career year but he went 3-for-13 in the preseason game that was supposed to matter. The only point of interest with the starters is whether they stay healthy. And for fans who decide to make the trip downtown, it’s nice to see the star players out there. There shouldn’t be any other big picture takeaways from the 1s.
Does Jake Browning look like QB2?
Things didn’t exactly go the way Jake Browning hoped in his first opportunity to start a game at US Bank Stadium. He took a safety, threw a pick-six and his average pass traveled just 5.2 yards. Well, he’ll have an opportunity to put that performance in the rearview mirror on Saturday night and solidify his place as QB2. From the start of practices back in the spring, Browning has been the backup, so he’s clearly ahead, but the only thing that could drive the head coach to change his mind is turnovers.
Browning has shown command for the offense and the ability to throw the ball accurately enough to execute but that wasn’t on display against the Broncos. If he’s able to protect the ball and put points on the board versus Indy, there will be more confidence in him if Kirk Cousins isn’t available at some point during the regular season. If Browning has issues, the Vikings could keep their eye out for a proven veteran backup or go with Kellen Mond as QB2 if he takes big strides in the final few weeks leading up to the opener.
It doesn’t appear that Browning has to light the world on fire to keep his job. He has to look competent.
When will Kellen Mond get in the game?
Mike Zimmer had a quick hook for Browning after Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II intercepted a pass and trotted into the end zone. Will he give Browning more snaps against the Colts or will we see an entire half-plus of Mond again? The team has insisted that he needs more reps but the same could be said for Browning.
Zimmer said this week that Mond had his best practice on Monday but the following two days were more hit-or-miss. Will he take Zimmer’s criticism to heart and operate the offense with more tempo? Will he look more comfortable with his reads and pocket presence? Will he make a play or two for Vikings fans to get excited about?
How will Oli Udoh look at right guard?
In the weeks leading up to the first preseason game, Oli Udoh, the 2019 sixth-round pick of the Vikings, split practice reps with Dakota Dozier at right guard. After the first quarter of the first preseason game, it was clear Udoh was RG1. But we haven’t seen him in live action except during joint practices with the Broncos. Saturday night will (very likely) represent his first real time lining up at his new position. Last year the Colts’ defensive line smashed the Vikings in Week 2, so if they play starters, Udoh will get a nice test for a handful of plays.
While the snaps will be important, it doesn’t appear that Udoh will be playing for his job. He took all the first-team reps in practice last week and the team hasn’t attempted to get a look at Wyatt Davis with the first team at any point.
Will Weatherly/Wonnum rise to the challenge?
The Vikings really Wonnum to show something against the Colts.
Sorry.
When Zimmer was upset about the team’s play against Denver, it would seem the defensive ends were a big part of that frustration because Stephen Weatherly and DJ Wonnum have been fighting for the right defensive end spot and neither played well against the Broncos. It’s hard to say whether working out Everson Griffen this week was the Vikings deciding that they couldn’t go forward with Weatherly/Wonnum or a message to both of them to kick it into gear. Either way, someone needs to step up to solidify that spot.
Who emerges in the TE3 battle?
With Tyler Conklin sidelined, Brandon Dillon and Zach Davidson are going to get a lot of work against the Colts. Both tight ends worked into Conklin’s spot in practice this week and seem to have fairly equal chances to get the TE3 job. Davidson is a tremendous athlete who simply hasn’t played a lot of football. He caught 51 passes in two seasons and his school didn’t play in the fall due to COVID.
Dillon has been with the Vikings for two seasons and made his way onto the active roster last year before getting banged up. He’s the more reliable option but the Vikings may view his upside as being limited. One of them can get the edge with a stronger showing on Saturday.
How much will Wyatt Davis play?
After the first preseason game, there was some excitement over Wyatt Davis’s solid preseason PFF grade but it was more telling about where he stands that the third-round pick was playing late into the game. Will he get to play after Udoh this time or will we still see Dakota Dozier get the RG2 snaps? Is there anything more the Vikings need to see from Dozier at this point that would cause them to play him over the developing Davis?
Can Ihmir Smith-Marsette show his playmaking skills?
Kirk Cousins seemed excited about Ihmir Smith-Marsette when he talked this week, calling him “fun” and pointing out that he has the ability to make plays downfield. In his first action, Smith-Marsette had two receptions on six throws in his direction. He had a drop and went 0-for-3 on contested catches per PFF.
While it looks like KJ Osborn and Chad Beebe are ahead of ISM, he’ll have a chance to make a stronger case against the Colts than he did last week.
Will Greg Joseph maintain the team’s confidence?
Vikings.com writer Eric Smith has tracked Greg Joseph’s kicks during camp and found that he’s made 35 of 41. He made both attempts in the preseason opener, though they were both short kicks. With no other kicker on the roster, Joseph is kicking against himself in these next two games. If he remains steady, the Vikings are much more likely to stick with him during the regular season. If not, they could be searching the waiver wire.
Can Britton Colquitt avoid Zimmer’s wrath?
Last year Colquitt was 20th in average and 29th in net yards per punt. Last week, the Vikings’ punter had three ugly punts, causing Zimmer to call out his struggles at halftime on TV and then in the postgame press conference. Colquitt is known as being a terrific holder and is well regarded by kickers, which may have helped his case for a contract extension but the Vikings were also 32nd in field position in 2020, in part because of his issues. Colquitt needs a strong showing or we might see some punters showing up at TCO Performance Center next week for tryouts.
Will a depth linebacker stand up?
With Nick Vigil not participating in practice on Friday, it’s possible we see all sorts of opportunities for the depth linebackers to shine. Zimmer has made it very clear that he isn’t thrilled with what he’s seen from the backups, so Saturday night is important for the likes of Blake Lynch, Troy Dye, Ryan Connelly and rookie Chazz Surratt.
Their roles as backups could become even more valuable if whatever is ailing Anthony Barr causes him to miss time. We haven’t gotten any indication of a timeline for Barr but his absence has shown the fragility of the linebacking group. The Vikings could use a strong showing from an emerging LB4, whoever that might be.
Can the depth defensive backs have a better showing?
Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater and Brett Rypien produced a combined 141.9 QB rating against the Vikings’ defense in the preseason opener. Cam Dantzler got beat by KJ Hamler for an 80-yard touchdown and both Dylan Mabin and Myles Dorn allowed easy touchdowns into their coverage. With decisions to be made about the depth corners and safeties, the depth players will need to step up against the likes of Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger.
Will the team respond to Zimmer’s message?
As you’ve probably picked up on, Zimmer was very unhappy with the performance of his team against the Broncos. The Vikings had several hard practices this week to prepare for Round 2 of the preseason. So, will we see the second teamers put in a more spirited effort or will the team struggle again?
Fundamentally speaking, the preseason isn’t going to give us much of an indication of how the regular season will go. But this will at least say something about how the message is getting across.
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I'll add one other item to this list, Matthew:
"What kind of crazy @#$! will Mike Zimmer say after the game?"
Where is Barr?