Keys for the Vikings' offense in their preseason game with the Ravens
· Yahoo Sports
The Minnesota Vikings will host the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium at noon CST on Saturday. We likely won't see many, if any, starters play after the Vikings hosted the Ravens for joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
J.J. McCarthy will get the start at quarterback, providing him the opportunity to secure the QB2 job. He and Murray struggled in Wednesday's practice, but both bounced back and played better in Thursday's, though the performances were still up and down.
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The final score doesn't really matter, but there are plenty of reasons to tune in to watch the Vikings' offense on Saturday. We have several battles across the offense to watch in Saturday's game. Myles Price is trying to steal the WR4 job, and it's anyone's guess who emerges as the team's third tight end.
Here are three keys for the Vikings' offense in Saturday's preseason game against the Ravens.
Keys for the Vikings' offense in their preseason game against the Ravens
Establish the running game
Minnesota got out to a hot start on offense last week against the Giants. They picked up 44 yards on six carries, helping set up a field goal on the first drive of the game. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are unlikely to play, providing a runway for either Demond Claiborne or Zavier Scott to show their worth as RB3.
Scott entered the league as a UDFA in 2023 but didn't play until last year with the Vikings. He has value on special teams, but was unspectacular on offense, running 32 times for 114 yards while adding 14 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Will his special teams experience be enough to fight off Claiborne, the speedy sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest? Claiborne has struggled holding onto the ball during camp, an issue that dates back to college. But he displayed his speed in Thursday's practice, running in from 20 yards out untouched for a touchdown in a two-minute drill. If he can showcase his speed and hold onto the ball, it will be hard to justify placing Claiborne behind Scott on the depth chart.
Protect the quarterback
Minnesota's offensive line was strong in the running game last week, but it did a solid job of pass protection. Vikings quarterbacks only faced nine pressures on 27 dropbacks, with only three of those pressures being credited to the line.
Rookie third-round pick Caleb Tiernan could stand to have a good bounce-back game after generating a team-low 28.2 PFF grade last week. Although he was credited with a 73.6 pass-blocking grade on 20 pass-blocking attempts, he appeared slow and sloppy in his footwork. It remains to be seen if he will play in Saturday's game, as he is dealing with an ankle injury, although he was in uniform in Thursday's practice.
However, Minnesota may feel good about veteran tackle Ryan Van Demark. His 79.8 overall grade against the Giants ranked fifth among all offensive players. It feels as if he is an upgrade over swing tackle Justin Skule, who the Vikings signed last year to back up Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill.
Get the passing game on-track
As stated earlier, Minnesota's receivers struggled to get open on Wednesday before finding more success on Thursday. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings will almost certainly not play in Saturday's game, giving plenty of promising wideouts opportunities to shine.
Price is making a strong case for the WR4 spot, although Tai Felton has made strides in Year 2. It just feels like those two are destined to make the team but are fighting for the same role. Price seemed to take the lead last week against the Giants when he made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch and didn't give any reason to believe he has given up ground in the practices since then.
Dillon Bell, Jeshaun Jones, and Dontae Fleming all provide different skill sets and may be WR5 considerations in almost any other season. There's a possibility the Vikings carry six receivers just because of how good Jones and Fleming have looked, while Bell brings a whole different element to the offense as a rookie UDFA.
Of course, it will be up to the quarterbacks to get them the ball. McCarthy is getting the start, but how much of Carson Wentz will we see? If he took part in any 7-on-7 or team drill action during joint practices, I missed it. My feeling is the coaching staff feels comfortable in what they have with him.
Can McCarthy bring a calming presence on Saturday? Or will Wentz once again provide the veteran stability this offense may require in an emergency come the regular season?
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Keys for the Vikings' offense in their preseason game with the Ravens