After managing just 16 points through two games, Minnesota’s unit must establish rhythm, sustain drives, and find the end zone to build momentum before the regular season.
Friday night against the Denver Broncos represents one final opportunity for the Minnesota Vikings to get meaningful reps and continue preparing for the regular season.
That preparation is especially important for a team that will need to get off to a fast start and maintain a high level of play throughout the year given how competitive the NFC North is expected to be.
As it relates to Friday’s preseason finale, the offense should be the primary focus.
To be clear, not every starter will play in this game, and the Vikings certainly won’t show everything they plan to run once the regular season begins. But through Minnesota’s first two preseason games, the offense has produced just 16 total points. The Vikings scored 13 in their preseason opener against the New York Giants before managing only three against the Baltimore Ravens.
Regardless of who is on the field, Minnesota would like to see more offensive consistency against Denver.
Whether it’s a starter or a depth piece who may eventually be called upon as injuries emerge throughout the season, these reps matter. The ultimate outcome of a preseason game has no impact on the Vikings’ season, but the individual drives and snaps certainly do.
With just over two weeks remaining before Minnesota opens the regular season, there’s still time for the offense to take a meaningful step forward.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Vikings need to put up 30 or 40 points against the Broncos. But stringing together quality drives, moving the chains consistently and finishing possessions with points would be an encouraging development.
Regardless of who is at quarterback, who is blocking along the offensive line, or who is running the ball and catching passes, seeing the scheme work and drives come together is important.
There will be plenty for Minnesota to evaluate Friday night, but the offense should be at the top of the list.
If the Vikings can finally find a rhythm and generate consistent production against Denver, it would be a positive final step before turning their full attention toward the regular season.
It’s yet to be seen exactly what Minnesota’s strategy will be when it comes to allocating snaps between starters and reserve players. This is the time of year when rounding out the 53-man roster and making the appropriate cuts and keeps is as important as ever, but the opportunities for starters to get live reps before the games begin to count are dwindling as well.
That balance makes this one of the most important weeks of the Vikings’ offseason. Minnesota still has roster decisions to make, depth players to evaluate and roles to define, while also ensuring the players expected to carry the biggest workloads during the regular season are as prepared as possible before meaningful football begins.
