3 Takeaways From Vikings-Ravens Preseason Battle

The Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens squared off on Saturday afternoon for the second preseason game, following two joint practice sessions. Right before kickoff, the announcement was made that the Vikings would be starting backups on both sides of the ball, as Vikings head coach clearly saw enough from the two joint practices against Baltimore.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's game.

The curious plan for J.J. McCarthy

When the backups were announced before kickoff, the obvious thought was a longer look at McCarthy under center. Well, McCarthy was given the first quarter and was relieved by Carson Wentz in the second quarter, who would give way to Max Brosmer for the entire second half. 

Before getting into McCarthy's performance, the division of reps is very telling. Are the Vikings showcasing McCarthy for a potential trade, and has the decision been made for Wentz to be the backup to Kyler Murray on game days? 

For someone who desperately needs reps, giving McCarthy only a quarter seems counterproductive. 

McCarthy's performance

As far as McCarthy's play, it was a mirror image of last season. A single four play sequence tells the story for McCarthy as an NFL quarterback. Tai Felton made an incredible adjustment on a McCarthy deep ball and brought it in giving Minnesota a first and goal opportunity. 

The next three plays were a swing pass to the flat to Demond Claiborne leading to second down, an incompletion to Felton leading to third, and after a one-yard run from Claiborne, McCarthy overthrew a wide open Myles Price on fourth leading to a turnover on downs. 

The roller coaster of McCarthy continues.

Caleb Banks plays well into the game on Saturday

The first-round pick for Minnesota matched his snap total from the first preseason game with 25 snaps. There are two schools of thought on his snap share. The rookie could use the experience as part of the Vikings' plans at defensive tackle, but is it concerning that the team isn't putting him on ice for the regular season?

For what it's worth, PFF graded Banks with an overall defensive grade of 30.4, and he finished with two tackles and an assist. Saturday, Banks finished with a 45.3 defensive grade and was credited with a tackle and a defensive stop. 

A cumulative grade of 29.4 as a run defender through two preseason games isn't great, but it is way too early to speculate on the rookie with plenty of time to develop.