What we learned from the Vikings’ 26-3 preseason victory over the Eagles

PHILADELPHIA – The Vikings’ 2024 preseason is complete, and they’ll have an interesting decision to make on the quarterback who helped them compile a perfect preseason record.

Jaren Hall got his first start of the preseason on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, after leading a game-winning drive against the Raiders and posting a perfect passer rating last week in Cleveland. In the Vikings’ 26-3 win over the Eagles on Saturday, Hall went 17 of 25 for 189 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and directing five scoring drives.

The quarterback leads our observations about what we learned from Saturday’s game.

His first drive nearly ended with a turnover; Hall overshot Trishton Jackson over the middle, and Tristin McCollum picked off Hall before Cooper DeJean’s collision with Lucky Jackson led to an illegal contact penalty that wiped out the interception. The infraction, arguably not DeJean’s most consequential against a Minnesota team in the past year, gave Hall a restart, and the quarterback was impressive after that, particularly on third down. He finished 6 of 8 for 69 yards and two touchdowns on third downs, while being pressured three times. Hall made good decisions, showed an instinct that helped him escape the pocket for a first down and had good touch on a few downfield throws.

His first NFL start last year, a week after Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles, ended with Hall sustaining a concussion on the first drive, and the team pulled him at halftime of its New Year’s Eve loss to the Packers. During the 2024 preseason, the second-year QB was 28 of 46 for 339 yards and four touchdowns.

“It’s realizing the preparation ends when you step on the field, and the focus on the field is, ‘Play as fast as you can,’” Hall said. “Obviously, play slow in your mind when you need to, but just my body: my legs, my feet. ‘[Coach Kevin O’Connell] talks about feet and eyes all the time. I feel like I’m starting to get into a groove of what that truly means.”

The Vikings likely want to keep him as their third quarterback and could have him available as an emergency QB on game days, even if he’s on the practice squad thanks to a new NFL rule, but they’d have to decide whether it’s worth the risk of exposing him to waivers if they try to get him to the practice squad.

“You know everybody’s going to be aware of the good things Jaren did,” O’Connell said. “Maybe it’s the former quarterback in me that wants to make sure guys get real opportunities in our offense. But that’s part of it, though: knowing other people are going to see your good players doing some good things, and Jaren certainly had a good day.”

BOXSCORE: Vikings 26, Philadelphia 3

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Hall’s statistics might have been even more impressive if not for pressure from the Eagles’ defense, which used a sack and two pressures to force red-zone field goals. Hall’s final play of the day, where he escaped to his right and threw into the end zone, had O’Connell complaining to officials about a Julian Okwara hit he thought should have been flagged. For the game, the Eagles sacked Vikings quarterbacks four times and registered nine hits.

“I thought the first [offensive line] group that was out there, we protected Jaren,” O’Connell said. “As the game went on, we had some miscues in protection, maybe not exactly everybody doing their job and allowing a couple free runners there. And just, in some one-on-one situations, opponents getting the best [of them].”

Undrafted free agent Dwight McGlothern has been one of the stars of the Vikings’ preseason, and he closed the exhibition schedule with several impactful plays. McGlothern knifed in off the edge to tackle Lew Nichols for a one-yard loss on a fourth down and forced another turnover on downs with a corner blitz where Tanner McKee overshot E.J. Jenkins as McGlothern clung to his left ankle in an attempt to wrest him down.

“It was a safety blitz, and we changed it,” McGlothern said. “It’s my turn to go, so I had to make a play. I really wanted the sack; it was my first time being in that position. We got off the field. That’s all that matters. But I’ve got to get him on the ground next time. He’s big [6-6], for sure. I was just hanging on for my life.”

The Vikings called corner blitzes throughout the day, with Akayleb Evans pressuring Kenny Pickett unblocked in the second quarter and Fabian Moreau registering his own second-quarter pressure of Pickett.

The regular season will tell the story, but the Vikings seem committed to the idea of building a more productive run game through more frequent use of heavy personnel and downhill runs. We saw it again on Saturday, with Myles Gaskin carrying 13 times for 61 yards in the first half and the Vikings running 33 times for 119 yards overall. N’Keal Harry, who’s moved from wide receiver to tight end, could make the roster with T.J. Hockenson recovering from his torn ACL and Robert Tonyan still battling back spasms. He had catches of 24 and 14 yards on Saturday, but he’s also given the Vikings another physical presence on the edge of the line of scrimmage. Trent Sherfield, another stout run blocker at receiver, could make the team, and the Vikings figure to use fullback C.J. Ham more. Again, things could change, but the team’s preseason approach seemed to signal its intent.

Rookie kicker Will Reichard has shown through training camp he can hit from just about anywhere, and on Saturday, the Vikings sent him out for a 57-yard attempt. Even though his kick was a bit of a line drive, it cleared the crossbar with room to spare.

“For him to go out there and kick a 57-yarder like it’s nothing, I’m trying to remember the last time I saw him miss a kick,” O’Connell said. “He’s been ultra-consistent.”

Have the Vikings found their answer at kicker? That answer will come through more consequential kicks, but Reichard couldn’t have started much better.