Preseason Game 3 - Vikings @ Broncos

Instead there is going to be a punt-off. No, seriously. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said they still haven’t decided whether Jordan Berry or Ryan Wright is going to be the punter so there is actually going to be a competition in the final preseason game for which guy can punt better. Though he also admitted that kicker Greg Joseph will have a say on which guy is the better holder. That is a snoozy storyline but anything to do with kicking is a big deal around here.

The other storyline we’ll be watching is whether Kellen Mond plays. He didn’t take any practice reps on Tuesday and it seems like they might be more apt to keep Sean Mannion on the practice squad. Or do we have ourselves a good old fashioned showcasing? We haven’t had a showcase since the Vikings were trying to sell Laquon Treadwell on the open market and got no offers.

There’s some other things to keep an eye on. The punt returning situation has been a rollercoaster. Depth receivers get to make their last case for a roster spot. The TY McGill story has taken Minneapolis and parts of St. Paul by storm. Will first-round pick Lewis Cine play after missing some practice this week? Will anybody from the draft class give the team reason to believe they can be the future? Maybe Ty Chandler or Brian Asamoah? Can anyone from the 2021 draft class make a final push?

So there’s stuff to watch. If you Google “things to watch in the Vikings’ final preseason game,” there will be some results. But you probably won’t remember this Saturday night’s game about 10 minutes after it’s over, unlike last year when the final preseason game was only a dress rehearsal for upcoming madness.

Does that mean that the 2022 season will be better? Who knows. ESPN doesn’t think so, they ranked the Vikings 23rd in their power rankings. Draft Kings has the over-under at 9 wins, weighted slightly toward the under. So that’s not a lot different.

Yet it does feel different. It doesn’t seme like things are crashing down. There is some intrigue about a new offense and defense. There’s a schedule of teams that haven’t had the best training camps i.e. Chicago, New Orleans, Jets/Giants and so forth. There hasn’t been calamity before we even made it to Week 1. Maybe that’s a sign, maybe not. But it can’t be a bad omen, especially after last year when we saw what bad omens in camp look like.

So Saturday night will mark your last chance to have a relaxing Vikings experience before the regular season. Just enjoy the punt-off and the last shades of summer. And maybe take a second to reflect on how we used to make a big deal of this preseason game for only the football gods know why.