Minnesota Vikings at Bengals: Preseason week 1 game review

Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
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Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antone Exum (32) breaks up a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah (87) in the first quarter during a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antone Exum (32) breaks up a pass intended for Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah (87) in the first quarter during a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

The Interesting

  1. How does Matt Asiata make people miss? I can understand missing tackles because you got bowled over, but if Asiata jump cuts you out of your shoes, that’s not a good thing. Asiata is more like a bowling ball than Reggie Bush in his prime, which is why it is odd to see him pulling off jukes like that.
  2. Troy Stoudermire looks kind of like Patterson if you squint. When Stoudermire was returning kicks, he had similar moves. On offense, he played in a similar way. From now on, I might just call him CPatt Jr. Although he might be CPatt Sr. and the real Patterson might be the Jr unless he can prove otherwise.
  3. “MINN”? I’m not sure how most people abbreviate Minnesota. Personally, I like MN. It’s easy for postal purposes. For football, I like MIN. It reminds me of playing games like Tecmo Bowl back in the day as well as how other major broadcasters show the score. But MINN? That’s a new one by me, but the Bengals broadcast of the game stuck with it.
  4. It’s a good day to be a Clemson rookie defensive back! Both Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse came away with interceptions in this game, proving that the former college teammates have some ball skills. It’s a bit strange that they were the two to get picks, but hey, Clemson and Vikings fans can celebrate with four times the power now!
  5. Jeff Locke: Most hated man on Twitter. Personally, I thought Locke had a pretty solid game. His boots had good distance, stayed out of the endzone, and still pinned the Bengals back. However, now expectations are that if the ball doesn’t land and stop between the 1 and 10 yard line that it is a failure. I’ll take this game’s punting over last season’s all day long!

Next: Overall Impressions

Schedule