After joint practices for two days earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Minnesota Vikings 17-7 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Just an hour and a half before game time, the Vikings announced that 27 of their 85 players on the roster would not play.
In turn, the 49ers also announced that they would also not be playing 27 players.
Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins all missed the game, meaning it was an opportunity for the backup quarterbacks for both sides to get meaningful reps.
For two offensive coaches, the offense was pretty sloppy throughout. Dropped passes, multiple turnovers and numerous missed opportunities for big plays.
Some of that is on the quarterbacks, as they are not what you would consider NFL starting-caliber quarterbacks. The running game was inconsistent on both sides, although the 49ers turned it up at the end of the game to seal the deal.
The game itself left us with some vital takeaways. Here were my four biggest takeaways from Saturday night’s loss.
The Defensive Line is Deep
The Vikings are going to need to have a good pass rush if they want to take the next step. Luckily for them, there is talent behind the starting five.
T.Y. McGill and Jonathan Bullard have made major waves so far this preseason. Not only did McGill get four sacks over the first six quarters, but he blew up a running play on the goal line causing a fumble by pushing the center into the quarterback.
In a similar vein, Bullard has been disruptive in his own right. A veteran of the Fangio scheme, he has been in the backfield and laterally moving quickly to stop the run. A great late-offseason pickup for the Vikings.
While he hasn’t been as impressive as those two, Jaylen Twyman has also shown himself to be worthwhile. After missing the entire 2021 season with a non-football injury, Twyman has shown the ability to penetrate and get pressure.
Patrick Jones II is a Third Starter
Coming out of Pitt, I thought Jones II was a good player, but he felt like just a guy. He had some explosiveness but needed work. The best way he was explained to me was by the host of Locked On Vikings Luke Braun.
“He has four pass rush moves that are 30% developed. If he develops two of those fully, he will be a player.”
Now that he is in his second season, Jones II is starting to unlock that potential. He is destroying tackles consistently with speed, speed-to-power and a nasty spin move. With edge rushers being as valuable as they are, Jones II developing is a great sign.
Ed Ingram Needs to be RG One
I say this without having seen Chris Reed due to injury.
Ed Ingram needs to be the starting right guard.
He is mauling everyone that is put in front of him. Plus, he looks for work when his job is done or he doesn’t have a responsibility. Some technical aspects need fixing, mainly positioning and over pursuit at the second level.
If Reed comes back and plays well, the Vikings will have a problem that they haven’t had in ages: good depth along the offensive line.
Backup Quarterback is Not on the Roster
Backup quarterbacks are not valued nearly as much as they should be in this league, but it’s just the reality of quarterback salaries, both in taking advantage of the rookie wage scale and when you have a guy that you pay big money to.
Both Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond don’t look like an NFL backup quarterback. Mannion struggles to throw the football period and Mond has difficulties being mechanically sound with any form of consistency and has a tough time seeing the field. Putting either of them out to start a regular season game is a recipe for both disaster and a loss.
The Vikings will need to work on finding a new backup quarterback either in free agency or the trade market. With Matt Corral tearing his Lisfranc and out for the season, P.J. Walker is likely going to stay in Carolina. There will be others made available and the Vikings need to try and capitalize on that market.
