The importance of the third Minnesota Vikings preseason game

Although it’s no regular season game, preseason game 3 is an important one for the offense of the Minnesota Vikings to show they’re making progress.

There’s no doubt that 2016 was a tough one for Minnesota Vikings’ fans across the NFL world. While the defense showed their strength, the offense was stagnant a lot of the time. It was clear, heading into 2017, that changes needed to be made.

Minnesota went all in to make those changes to the offense. It started with the offensive line. They started by drafting Pat Elflein, center out of Ohio State in the third round. The Vikings also went out and signed offensive tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers.

After the departure of Adrian Peterson, the Vikings needed to revamp their backfield as well. And revamp it they did. They drafted Dalvin Cook out of Florida State and signed Latavius Murray. This should be a nice 1-2 punch for Minnesota, but did the offense really improve from last year? Mike Zimmer says it has improved, but they need to prove it.

"“We have to prove it, obviously,” Zimmer said according to the Pioneer Press website. “But I like where (the offense is) headed…We had a red-zone period the other day, and they scored a bunch of times in the red zone on different plays.”"

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So far during the preseason, the Minnesota Vikings have had six total possessions and only produced 3 points. While it seems as if the offense is still struggling, it may take time for these new pieces to mesh. Their 3rd preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers is a chance for Minnesota to prove their offense has improved.

The third preseason game for any team is generally when the starters get the most action. You can expect to see the Vikings’ first team on the field at least well into the first half. The offense will also be going against the last ranked defense in the NFL from 2016 in the 49ers.

Starters should get ample chance to prove Mike Zimmer correct and ease fans’ minds. While it is only the preseason, it would be nice to see the Minnesota Vikings’ offense show out in a game that they should be able to rack up some yardage and points.

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Momentum is necessary for success heading into each new season, and considering the way 2016 ended, the Vikings would love to get some via the preseason. A solid outing from the first team offense should give Minnesota that confidence heading into the season opener on September 11.