Defensive Stats
The Vikings’ defensive rookies didn’t fare too well against the Cardinals this week. Minnesota rookie corner Kris Boyd saw the first game action of his career on Saturday and he was a huge liability out on the field.
Boyd had trouble sticking to his man and even more trouble trying to bring him down. He looks to be practice squad material at this point. Marcus Epps wasn’t much better and neither was Nate Meadors. At this point, Minnesota’s depth in the secondary is very concerning.
Vikings rookie defensive tackle Armon Watts was pretty quiet on Saturday and he didn’t make the same type of impact he did against the Seahawks last week.
Minnesota rookie linebacker Cameron Smith didn’t register a single tackle against Arizona, though he was all over the field. He needed a big game to secure his spot on the Vikings’ final roster and he failed to do so.
Below are the stats from Minnesota’s defensive rookies through three weeks of the 2019 preseason.
Tackles
- 8 – Cameron Smith
- 7 – Marcus Epps
- 6 – Nate Meadors
- 5 – Kris Boyd, Armon Watts
- 2 – Stacy Keely
- 1 – Isaiah Wharton, Anree Saint-Amour
Tackles For A Loss
- 1- Stacy Keely
Interceptions
- 1 – Nate Meadors
Sacks
- 0.5 – Armon Watts
Touchdowns
- 1 – Nate Meadors
Special Teams Stats
Special teams wise, Bisi Johnson was the standout on Saturday. He took punt return duties after Chad Beebe and he wisely called for a couple of fair catches against the Cardinals unlike last week.
Johnson also busted off one nice kick return during the matchup. This guy is definitely making Minnesota’s final 53-man roster this year and it is just a matter of what wide receiver slot he’ll end up at.
Below are the complete special teams stats through the first three weeks of the Vikings’ current preseason.
Kick Return Yards
- 63 – Bisi Johnson
- 46 – Dillon Mitchell
- 1 – Khari Blasingame
Punt Return Yards
- 11 – Bisi Johnson