5 winners (and 2 losers) for Vikings in preseason win over Browns

The Minnesota Vikings visited the Dawg Pound on Saturday to face the Cleveland Browns in the team's second preseason game. The purple and gold were victorious 27-12, moving them to 2-0 in exhibition play.

Several Vikings players stepped up in this game that featured backups rather than starters, but Minnesota still attacked Cleveland in a physical game between two teams that had joint practices earlier in the week.

Multiple players stood out in the second preseason game, but not all had the same type of urgency facing them. Five players who may be on the fringe of making the 53-man roster helped their cause while two struggled to find their footing.

5 winners (and 2 losers) for Vikings in preseason win over Browns

Let's take a look at seven players for the Minnesota Vikings who made a big impression against the Browns on Saturday.

Winner No. 1

Lewis Cine, safety

There may not have been a player who needed a better game than Lewis Cine. Minnesota's former first-round pick has struggled to be a consistent contributor and defense and may be running out of chances to stick on an NFL roster.

Cine led the Vikings with 11 combined tackles, with five of those being solo efforts. He also had two quarterback hits that resulted in one sack and registered one of Minnesota's three interceptions on the day.

He made progress toward earning a roster spot on Saturday but may need another good showing in the Vikings' final preseason game.

Winner No. 2

Kene Nwangwu, running back

Known primarily as a return specialist, Vikings running back Kene Nwangwu has yet to showcase his offensive ability. His ceiling on Minnesota's depth chart is RB3 since he will not surpass Aaron Jones or Ty Chandler this preseason.

Nwangwu carried the ball seven times against Cleveland and gained 46 yards on those attempts. His 6.4 yards per carry was the most of anyone in the game, showing he could move the ball effectively against the Browns.

Fellow running back Myles Gaskin also had a good day against the leaky Browns run defense, complicating the running back evaluation a little more. Sadly, Kene was not targeted as a receiver and it would have been nice to see that part of his game.

Winner No. 3

Trishton Jackson, wide receiver

The game highlights will be showing the 71-yard Jeshaun Jones touchdown catch often, but it was Trishton Jackson who made more plays and did quite a bit to keep his training camp and preseason momentum going.

Jackson caught three passes on four targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. That stat line isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but it shows he can win some one-on-one matchups more often than not.

Vikings fans should keep an eye on Jackson in the preseason finale to see if he can put an exclamation point on his argument to make the 53-man roster this season.

Winner No. 4

Jaren Hall, quarterback

One week ago, it was likely that Jaren Hall would be the odd man out in the quarterback battle to make the roster. J.J. McCarthy's injury has opened the door for Hall to be Minnesota's QB3 behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.

Hall only had 85 passing yards, but completed four of his five throws and threw two touchdowns with zero interceptions, He ended his day with a quarterback rating of 158.3 and couldn't have played much better in his opportunity.

Now, Hall will likely make the 53-man roster as long as nothing crazy happens freshly-signed quarterback Matt Corral to catapult him up the depth chart.

Winner No. 5

Taki Taimani, defensive line

It would have been easy to miss Taki Taimani during this game if you weren't keeping a close eye on the defensive trenches but the undrafted free agent out of Oregon opened some eyes to those who saw his performance.

Taimani ended up third on the team with six combined tackles, four of those solo takedowns. The six-foot-one, 309-pound defensive lineman played 37 snaps and was stout against the run while registering two quarterback pressures.

The Vikings have depth issues on the defensive line and this performance by Taimani could make him a sneaky option for a roster spot.

Loser No. 1

Seth Vernon, punter

Seth Vernon didn't have a bad day. In fact, he only punted once for 43 yards. But the fact that he only got one punt compared to Ryan Wright's three and averaged less than Minnesota's returning punter isn't a good sign.

The Vikings already know what they've got in Wright, so not making it a point to give Vernon more opportunities is interesting and possibly telling for his future.

Loser No. 2

Michael Jurgens, offensive line

Being a rookie offensive lineman in the NFL can't be easy. Michael Jurgens struggled in Minnesota's first preseason game when he was pancaked on a play that led to a blocked field goal. This week, he missed an assignment that led to a sack.

Jurgens has plenty of potential but needs to finish the preseason strong in order to have a great argument for making the 53-man roster.

More Vikings news and analysis