Players to watch — and players you won't see — in the Vikings' preseason finale

He's winless in the preseason. His offense has looked terrible in the exhibition games. And most of his key starters, including a quarterback charged with operating a new system at full speed, won't play a single down of live football until the regular season.

In other words, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has the NFL right where he wants it heading into Saturday night's preseason finale at Denver (8 p.m., Ch. 9/NFL Network, 100.3).

Call it the preseason version of the vaunted "Rams Way."

The reason O'Connell was brought from Los Angeles, where he was offensive coordinator, to Minnesota is simple: to recreate former boss Sean McVay's Super Bowl-winning magic for a franchise that's still looking to hoist its first Lombardi Trophy in its 63^rd season.

Well, the defending champion Rams wrapped up the 2021 preseason with an 0-3 record. They averaged 12 points a game. All the starters were rested, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had spent the previous 12 NFL seasons mired in dysfunctional Detroit, and his top target, unanimous All-Pro pick Cooper Kupp.

Asked to remember how the Rams' offensive coaching staff felt coming out of the 2021 preseason, O'Connell said, "Very similar to how we came out the year before when the preseason was canceled [because of COVID-19]."

That year, the Rams opened against the Cowboys. They rolled up 422 yards in a victory.

McVay became a believer in resting his starters. And O'Connell, obviously, is a believer in the McVay Way.

"If you're a team that practices just in a standard way, there's a lot can be taken out of the traditional model of kind of preparing guys in normal practice playing them slightly in each game building up," O'Connell said. "We choose to kind of do things a little bit differently. A little bit different model.

"If you asked our guys physically where they're at they'd probably say they're as healthy as they've been, but at the same time I think they'd probably say they're more and more prepared by the day."

Defensive end Armon Watts was the only player listed as a starter to play in last week's loss to the 49ers. O'Connell said not to assume all starters will sit at Denver but did say most of them will rest.

The blueprint for this approach obviously looks sound when one studies how the Rams started the 2021 season after resting everybody in the preseason games.

They opened with the Bears at home in prime time. Chicago had the first possession. It ended with a Rams interception.

Three plays later, Stafford launched a 67-yard touchdown pass, and the 34-14 rout was on. Stafford completed his first five passes for 97 yards and later threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Kupp before finishing 20 of 26 for 321 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a near-perfect passer rating of 156.1.

O'Connell said Thursday the team is both healthier and progressing faster than he would have anticipated. He put the players through a controlled scrimmage, trying to replicate game action as best he could for all the players who won't play Saturday night.

The starters will lounge on the sideline one more week in hopes that O'Connell's formula for success pays off.

"You hope they feel really good as [the Rams] did coming out of preseason the last two years," O'Connell said. "Ultimately, the real test will come 3:25 [p.m.] on Sept. 11" against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.

While the preseason finale in Denver will be lacking in star power, there are still some storylines to follow:

The backup quarterback situation

The competition between Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond was so lifeless, the Vikings traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders on Monday for Nick Mullens, a young veteran with 17 career starts (5-12) with the 49ers and Browns. Based on practice this week, Mannion will get the start. Mond is expected to play.

As for Mullens, O'Connell said Thursday that the coaches are still weighing whether he's up to speed enough to handle live reps. O'Connell also said it's not vital that Mullens plays considering the team has seen him in action with the Raiders this preseason.

Special teams changes

Rookie punter Ryan Wright outlasted veteran Jordan Berry, who was released on Thursday. Now he'll need a solid game not only as a punter but as a holder for kicker Greg Joseph to keep the Vikings from shopping for another punter among the rubble of the league's final cutdown day. Wright has held three times for Joseph this preseason. All three were PATs. Joseph went 3-for-3.

The right guard competition

It certainly appears rookie second-round pick Ed Ingram has beaten veteran Jesse Davis for the starting right guard spot. Ingram has played in the first two preseason games. If he doesn't play Saturday, he's most likely won the job. Davis played No. 2 left guard in Thursday's scrimmage, while Chris Reed played No. 2 right guard behind Ingram.

Depth in the secondary

It's unlikely that Lewis Cine, a first-round pick at safety, and Andrew Booth Jr., a second-round pick at cornerback, will play. They didn't practice all week because of injuries, which means they've lost ground in their competitions for starting roles. Keep an eye on the depth at cornerback and safety should the rookies' injuries linger.

Other areas to watch