Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Preseason Week 2 vs. Seahawks

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This week was a good one for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyle Sloter. Despite a disappointing training camp, he is putting together a great reason for the coaches and the front office to choose him as the backup to Kirk Cousins by having a game where he completed 11 of his 13 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. After that, Twitter should be even louder for Sloter to be QB2.

In addition, Adam Thielen reminded fans that he is just incredible. On the stat sheet, he only had three catches for 45 yards but what isn’t there is the tough haul-in that he made on a big 34-yard grab or a pass interference that he drew to move the chains again.

Another veteran who made his presence felt was Harrison Smith. He quickly closed in on a pass thrown to Tyler Lockett and slapped it right out of his hands. When Smith is already in midseason form, you know he will be ready when the regular season arrives.

One thing fans don’t want to see in a preseason game is an injury. There were a couple of scary moments for the Vikings in this game, particularly when running back Alexander Mattison got tackled only for his leg and foot to bend in an unpleasant way. However, he never left the game and seemed to continue as if it didn’t even happen.

Here are some other players who had a nice showing in the second preseason game for the Minnesota Vikings:

• Brandon Zylstra is making a great case for making the team’s roster. With so many talented pass catchers with the team at the moment, there will be some really good players who don’t get a spot. However, his five catches on five targets for 37 yards and a touchdown are a nice reminder of his potential.
• The biggest fringe player right now has to be Mike Boone. The running back is fourth on the unofficial depth chart and could be in discussions during final cuts. But he had another big play this week, this time a 45-yard catch and run to go with 21 carries for 66 yards. He may force the team to keep a fourth running back, especially with Abdullah handling a lot of special teams work.
• Kentrell Brothers may not have soft hands like a wide receiver, but he’s got a nose for the football. Even though he couldn’t haul in an interception, the special teams ace looked good on defense for the Vikings, getting four tackles on the day with two of them being solo.
• This will be the year Ifeadi Odenigbo finally makes the team’s 53-man roster. He has shined in both preseason contests and looks to be the man who steps in for Bower. His sack in this game came after a lot of work and the fact he put in three hits on the opposing quarterback can’t be ignored.