Vikings’ MVP’s From All Three Facets In The Final Pre-season Game
All things considered, this was a pretty lackluster game for the Vikings in almost every stage of the game. There were a few players that made a difference but for the most part, they looked miserable. Unfortunately for both Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond, neither of them made an effort worthy of being kept on the 53-man roster as a third quarterback.
It would make sense to use this roster spot on somebody else at a different position that actually has the potential to contribute something consistently positive. I could even see them using the extra spot on a TE as there are a few of them that have looked decent this preseason.
Offensive MVP
The offense struggled to maintain drives and did not have any sort of flow or rhythm. The only bright spot that I noticed throughout the game was the continued production and explosiveness from Ihmir Smith-Marsette. He was able to reel in three catches for 63 yards, with his longest catch being a 30-yarder. He was also able to contribute on special teams with a 21 yard punt return. After accomplishing all of these things, Ihmir Smith-Marsette is the Offensive MVP.
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Special Teams MVP
There were a few plays where the special teams did not look great but overall they did a decent job. It appears as if Kwesi Adofo Mensah and Kevin O’Connell made the right choice by sticking with the rookie Ryan Wright at punter. He had four punts for a total of 225 yards. He also only had one touchback and a long of 71 yards. He was rock solid as a holder and did not cause any issues there either. This performance is what makes Ryan Wright the Special Teams MVP for the Vikings.
Defensive Co-MVP
Overall the defense did not look great but they were able to get stops from time to time. I was not able to choose just one defensive MVP because there are a couple of guys that stood out. Both of these guys were ones that I originally thought were going to be released during the second round of cuts but they are still on the team and may have earned a spot on the 53 man roster with their performances.
These two are Mike Brown and Myles Dorn, who had ten and six tackles respectively. Brown also had one pass defensed while Dorn had two. On a play later on in the game, Dorn was able to lay out a receiver and cause an incompletion. With the stats that these two compiled in the final preseason game for the Minnesota Vikings, I believe they both earned the title of Defensive Co-MVP.