Week 1 of the NFL preseason is in the books for the Minnesota Vikings. In that contest, the purple and gold had a thrilling last-second 24-23 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in an atmosphere of excitement despite this being an exhibition game.
The crowd at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis was loud and invested for a preseason game. Fans saw multiple rookies in action on Saturday, Some of those young players made great plays that will make highlight reels.
This was the first time many fans got to see the new Minnesota players in action. The excitement of seeing these individuals on the field during a broadcast on NFL Network where "The Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen was on the mic was a great pleasure.
J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner make big plays for Minnesota Vikings in preseason win over Las Vegas Raiders
There were plenty of positives and negatives from the first preseason game of the Minnesota Vikings. There was some rust and inexperience on display but there were also occasions that would cause fans to jump out of their seats.
Sam Darnold got the start at quarterback for Minnesota, but all eyes were on rookie J.J. McCarthy. An early interception was shrugged off by the Vikings passer, who showed off his arm by throwing two nice touchdowns and connecting on 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 188 yards.
Defensively, Dallas Turner looked excellent. Minnesota's other first round pick was consistently getting pressure and even got a sack early in the contest. He wasn't the only rookie defender to shine with defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez having an impressive day.
Rookie kicker Will Reichard had his first field goal attempt of the game blocked but connected on all three of his extra point tries on the day and showcased his skills in the closing moments of the game to end the day 1-2 on field goals.
The most unexpected rookie performance of the day came from former Air Force edge rusher Bo Richter. Not only did he have a great sack, but he was consistently putting himself in positions to win his one-on-one battles against Las Vegas' blockers.
The game came down to the final two minutes where the Minnesota Vikings trailed 21-23 on a third down with four yards to go from 66 yards from paydirt. An incomplete pass led to a Vikings punt, but Minnesota's defense held the Raiders to give Jaren Hall and the Vikings another chance. A couple of controversial Raiders time outs helped the purple and gold move into field goal range.
It all came down to a 38-yard field goal attempt from the left hash. Rookie kicker Will Reichard connected on the kick to give Minnesota a 24-23 victory, bringing the team to a 1-0 record for the preseason.
Week 2 of the preseason will see the Minnesota Vikings head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Browns. That will happen on Saturday, Aug. 17 with a 3:25 pm CDT kickoff time. Don't miss more great preseason action next week!