3 Vikings who locked up roster spots and 2 in serious trouble after preseason Week 1

As much as preseason wins and losses matter (they don't), it's always good to win, and the Minnesota Vikings have that good feeling after a 13-10 win over the New York Giants in their preseason opener.

The first-team offense looked good for a series, and so did the first-team defense. Those are the little, slightly more meaningful wins within the win.

One preseason game is only the first serious opponent-tested salvo in the battle for roster spots, so full narratives about who won and lost said roster spots cannot yet be written in most cases.

But even with that in mind, good performances are always better than bad, and a bad performance in a preseason opener can be hard to recover from. Sometimes, someone just stands out so much they can't be ignored, and that momentum carries unabated until late August.

As such, it’s much easier to maintain a positive trajectory than to reverse a negative narrative with one preseason game. These five Vikings sit on the ends of that spectrum now.

Minnesota Vikings who locked up roster spots -- and those who still have work to do -- after preseason Week 1

Locked up a roster spot: WR Myles Price

Myles Price's role as the Vikings' primary kickoff and punt returner last season makes his roster spot feel very safe, but it'd be nice if he showed some chops as a wide receiver.

Price apparently heard that call, after buzz from OTAs hinted at it. He had a team-high four catches for 51 yards against the Giants, as he caught two passes each from J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. He made some fantastic catches, highlighted by a one-yard touchdown pass from Wentz.

That score paired nicely with a live reaction from Justin Jefferson, who joined the television broadcast during the third quarter.

Locked down a roster spot: RB Demond Claiborne

Claiborne has been the general favorite to be the Vikings' RB3, albeit with some things to clean up to solidify that idea. He returned two kickoffs against the Giants for 50 yards, and he offered a glimpse of his signature speed with runs of six, seven and nine yards.

It wasn't perfect for him, as Claiborne had just 34 yards on his 12 carries in the game and was ill-advisedly used as a goal-line back. But he clearly has juice that Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason don’t quite have, and his usage as a kickoff returner hints at some kind of plan if the need eventually arises -- say, if Price takes on a bigger offensive role and gives up his return duties.

As noted by Dustin Baker of Vikings Now, Claiborne also stood in nicely as a pass blocker when Carson Wentz was under duress once, taking a step toward answering that perceived issue.

Locked up a roster spot: DT Elijah Williams

As an undrafted rookie last year, Elijah Williams earned a spot on the Vikings’ roster with a strong training camp and preseason, though it didn’t translate into much of a role when it counted (42 defensive snaps). He’s put together another strong camp, so it’s worth wondering whether he can carry that momentum into the preseason again.

Williams had one of the Vikings' four sacks on Saturday, showing excellent hand usage to shed a block and make the play. He also pressured Giants No. 3 quarterback Brandon Allen up the middle, helping Bo Richter record a sack of his own.

In the battle for backup defensive line spots, Williams scored a decisive point against the Giants.

Firmly on the wrong side of the roster bubble: LB Ivan Pace

Ivan Pace's roster status is already tenuous, and two plays in a three-play span during New York's touchdown drive only made things worse.

First, Giants running back Devin Singletary ripped off a 40-yard gain on a screen pass. Pace's poor angle took what -- to be fair -- would've already been a decent gain and turned it into an explosive play.

Then, Giants rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields "Mossed" Pace for a touchdown. At that point in the play, the WR-LB coverage mismatch didn't really matter anymore; Pace was simply outdone when the ball was in the air.

In T-R-O-U-B-L-E: P Johnny Hekker

The Vikings can retain Brett Thorson as part of the league's International Player Pathway Program if it comes to that, but he is also a legit challenger to Johnny Hecker for the punting job. Hecker has the perceived edge because he’s been a holder before, while Thorson didn’t handle those duties at Georgia.

So much for that edge. Will Reichard made a 54-yard field goal with Thorson as the holder on Saturday. Thorson was also the holder on the one extra-point attempt (and conversion) Reichard had in the game.

Oh, and Thorson also outdid Hekker at their primary job, with a 47-yard average on his three punts compared to Hekker's 37.7 average. Distance, of course, isn't everything when it comes to doing the job well as a punter, and Hekker only ceded 15 return yards with two fair catches forced. But if Thorson can be a good holder (so far, so good in a game setting), Hekker is in serious trouble.

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