Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Defense will face another mobile QB | By @LindseyMNSports
The Vikings will face a quarterback who has some similarities to last week’s opponent.
Cardinals rookie QB Kyler Murray has drawn comparison to Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, whom Minnesota recently saw in a preseason game for the fourth consecutive year. The two passers share a likeness in size and a baseball background, and Murray also has the ability to move outside of the pocket.
Where Murray and Wilson differ, however, is in NFL experience. Murray will take the field at U.S. Bank Stadium for his third pro exhibition contest and go up against a Vikings defense that remained largely intact for the past five seasons. It will be interesting to watch how Murray fares against Minnesota’s front and, conversely, how the defense responds to a young, mobile quarterback.
The Vikings have had ups and downs defensively over the first two games, and Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer will look for the unit to start fast and physical against Arizona.
Largest sample size for offense | By @pcraigers
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense knew their opportunities would be limited in the first two preseason contests.
The unit (minus running back Dalvin Cook) maximized their nine snaps in New Orleans to open the game with a 76-yard touchdown drive to open the preseason. Last week against Seattle, the first team (sans Cook) played 19 snaps and netted a field goal out of two possessions.
The first possession was promising but a fumbled snap put Minnesota behind the chains near midfield and forced a punt.
The Vikings advanced the ball quickly on their second series with a 34-yard pass from Cousins to Adam Thielen and a 45-yard pass interference penalty drawn by the receiver on consecutive plays. A penalty on Minnesota on a goal-to-go play halted momentum and led to a 24-yard field goal.
Zimmer has generally played starters through the first half and into the third quarter in the third preseason games he’s coached. Cousins said he’s looking forward to more opportunities.
“I think the challenge with the first two games is if you don’t start fast, don’t play well early, you feel like you had a horrible game, and in reality if you play four quarters maybe you don’t, it just took you longer to get going,” Cousins said. “So the nice thing with the third game is you have a little bit larger sample size in case you don’t start fast, but certainly we hope to and expect to start fast. We want to put together a good showing against their starters with a longer amount of time on the field.”