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Winners and Losers from Vikings First Preseason Game

Along with the much anticipated debut of J.J. McCarthy, many other Vikings splashed and left much to be desired on Saturday's preseason game.
Vikings Preseason

On Saturday night, the Minnesota Vikings won a preseason game for the first time under Kevin O’Connell and first since 2019. This was as anticipated as a preseason game can get for Vikings fans as they saw the debut of J.J. McCarthy, among many other fresh faces donning the purple and gold.

Winner J.J. McCarthy/Sam Darnold

McCarthy and veteran Sam Darnold had more than enough bright spots Saturday to be happy with where they’re at at this point of training camp. Darnold only played one drive, leading the offense right down the field with a few anticipatory passes to Jailon Nailor, who also played well in the absence of Justin Jefferson.

McCarthy received much more of the workload after the sole Darnold drive, and it started as poorly as you could’ve drawn it up with an interception on the first drive of his career. While the interception was rough, the way McCarthy responded was as promising as any singular play he made. He stayed aggressive all game with two big touchdown passes and multiple chunk gains while facing heavy pressure. He looked mobile, accurate and threw with anticipation. If Darnold plays the way he did in his drive throughout a good portion of the season, odds are McCarthy won’t play, which is probably a good thing since McCarthy isn’t all the way there yet. It wasn’t perfect, but enough to get fans excited for the future.

Loser- Jaren Hall

Giving Jaren Hall the loser title may be a little harsh, but it doesn’t have a ton to do with how he played- which to be fair wasn’t amazing. But with McCarthy playing as well as he did, and Nick Mullens having a backup job practically set in stone, Hall seems like the odd man out. Going a pedestrian 7/16 for 63 yards, Hall had multiple passes tipped and the offense stalled out once he came in. He did lead the game-winning drive, so that’ll buy him a little time, but he needs to be better in the next two preseason games.

Winner- Bo Richter

The undrafted rookie from Air Force wrecked the game once he came in. Only playing 20 snaps, Bo Richter totaled 6 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. The Vikings need depth all along the defensive line and finding a rotational backup as a UDFA would be huge. Don’t be surprised if Richter makes the 53-man roster when it’s all said and done.

Loser- Ed Ingram

Saturday’s game was the story of almost every game Ed Ingram has played. Mauling in the run game, and struggling in the pass game. PFF graded him a 64.6 run-blocking grade (above average) and a 17.1 pass-blocking grade (awful) allowing 2 pressures on two drives. Another thing to take note of was that he stayed in the game when Darnold and some other starters came out. While his job isn’t exactly in jeopardy, he still needs some reps under his belt to become a more complete player.

Winner- Trishton Jackson/Kene Nwangwu/Trent Sherfield Sr.

These three were lumped together because they were responsible for two different touchdowns. First, Trishton Jackson caught a beautiful go ball from McCarthy after burning the corner on him and making an uncontested touchdown catch. Jackson has received tons of praise from the coaching staff and will play a decent-sized role in 2024.

Kene Nwangwu sprung a 48-yard touchdown completely untouched, which wouldn’t have happened without a great block from the notoriously great blocker Trent Sherfield Sr. If Nwangwu wants a role in the offense, plays like this need to happen more consistently, his game-breaking speed could help a lot.

Main Photo Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Anger

Alex Anger

Alex Anger is a journalism student at Arizona State with a passionate love for sports, specifically football. Being from Minnesota Alex is a Vikings fan, but wants to give readers an unbiased opinion on all things football from all around the league. Alex, like many football fans alike, is an expert at watching redzone.

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