Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Preseason Week 3 vs. Cardinals

More bad things

Oh, boy. Fans tuning in hoping to see a great performance from the first-team offense were not only in for disappointment but an utter collapse in the passing game. The offensive line couldn’t protect Kirk Cousins as he was sacked twice on the day and the quarterback only connected on three of his 13 passing attempts for 35 yards and missed Diggs on a throw he usually hits.

There were some good reasons for Cousins’ struggles. Not having a playmaker like Adam Thielen on the field is one thing, but resting heavy on his mind had to be the passing of his uncle, which he shared on his personal Twitter account.

The first team defense had some major miscues as well. Both Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes got burned in this game and gave up chunks of yardage. For a game that was meant to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season, the team showed it needs some work if it wants to be contenders.

Here are some other problems the team had during the game:

• Containing Kyler Murray was going to be a challenge. Although the team limited his scrambles, he was still able to move around the backfield and buy time to make throws.
• Arizona only ran the ball 14 times with their running backs and gained 56 yards on those attempts, even with Shamar Stephen returning to the starting lineup. Hopefully, that number will go down when Linval Joseph returns and Harrison Smith is in the lineup, but the team needs to be a bit more stout.
• In the first quarter, it looked like a clear fumble forced by Mackensie Alexander was recovered by Jayron Kearse and would have been returned for a touchdown. Instead, after being challenged by Mike Zimmer, the play stood as David Johnson being down. Maybe the officials were unsure about DJ’s hip being down…but it looked like an obvious fumble.

What do you think were the best and worst things from the third preseason game of the Minnesota Vikings as they went against the Arizona Cardinals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!