Expect two touchdowns from the first-team offense
Good news for Vikings fans; Friday’s dress rehearsal for Minnesota should go far better than the team’s preseason game in Week 2, at least offensively.
With the Vikings’ first-team players likely to see reps well into the second quarter and likely until halftime, expect more of an offensive output from Kirk Cousins, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and others against a Seahawks defense that shouldn’t be as intimidating as Jacksonville’s was a week ago. So expect at least two touchdowns in the first half from Minnesota.
Also, the Vikings’ defense will have a little bit of trouble containing the speedy and elusive members of the Seattle offense on Friday. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has made a habit of making defenders look silly, but the disciplined Minnesota defense will bend and allow 10 points or fewer in the first half.
The best part of all is that rookie Daniel Carlson will continue to show why Minnesota made the choice to roll with him as the team’s kicker. Carlson will connect on every field goal and extra point attempted, including another from over 40 yards in this game.
The Vikings will win Friday’s game and bring their 2-1 preseason record to Tennessee next week, where the rest of the players will fight to move up the depth chart, land on the 53-man roster, or make the team’s practice squad. For this week though, there will be plenty of Minnesota’s players who shine against the Seahawks, with Danielle Hunter, Latavius Murray, and Daniel Carlson being three of them.
– Adam Carlson