Winless but hardly worthless

Chiefs 28
Vikings 25

I don't know how many more times I can say these words: It's only preseason. 

It's as if every football fan or media member gets their mind wiped after every August. Because every year preseason  performances prove to not be at all predictive about what happens in games that matter. But then another August arrives, we get preseason games, and people overreact. 

The Vikings completed their first winless preseason since 1979 on Friday in KC. But that does not mean a thing.

I watched these games to see the little things, to see standout individuals. And I got some more on Friday.

Yeah we got lit up for a couple drives by Patrick Mahomes. So does everybody for the last 3 years, other than that fraud of a super bowl last February. And even here we only had about half the starting defense out there.

Kirk started again with the week 1 OL. The opening drive was really good til it bogged down inside the 10...as things tend to do when your 3 best weapons aren't playing. The other 2 Kirk drives didn't do much. Still, again the OL looked pretty solid. That's the most important takeaway for me. 

Once again Jake Browning looked totally inadequate as the backup QB. And this time he was unquestionably upstaged by Kellen Mond. Mond had the whole 2nd half to himself, and while he did have 2 turnovers that were not really his fault, he also led 3 touchdown drives, and looked far more assured both in and out of the pocket. Was it enough to secure a backup QB job? I think it should be, considering how easily Browning could make it through to the practice squad. But there remains a chance of a veteran QB coming in on the cheap. 

Everson Griffen made his re-debut, and looked like he will slip right back in. He had a sack and a couple more pressures. Only thing different was the uniform number. 
Parry Nickerson got a pick six. Maybe enough to secure a PS spot. 

Greg Joseph missed another 50+ yard field goal. We'll see if another kicker is brought in. I personally am not going to lose my mind over a couple missed 50 yarders, not that those aren't important.

I'm not over the moon about anything I saw from the Vikings this preseason. But I hardly saw anything worthy of the doomsaying in this media and fanbase.

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