Takeaways from yesterday

These seem pretty spot on to me. KOC may actually be committing to the run game this year not just talking about it as in previous years. Ivan Pace is on a bubble, Banks has a long way to go, Myles Price is ballin', and a few guys looked good, and JJ is.. JJ. I will be confusing Jacob Thomas and Jakobe Thomas all year long.

Will Ragatz apparently working for this website as a side gig to his regular job for SI.

https://bringmethesports.com/stock-up-stock-down-from-the-vikings-preseason-opening-win

The Vikings went to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and emerged with a 13-10 victory over the Giants on Saturday in their first of three preseason games this month.

The big development from the day is that safety Jamal Adams suffered a right knee injury that “does not look good,” according to Kevin O’Connell. It’s a brutal blow for Adams, who was carving out a significant role in the Vikings’ defense after signing as a free agent just a few weeks ago.

On the field, there was a lot to be encouraged by and a lot that needs work. Let’s go through some players (or broader themes) that are trending up or down after this game.

Stock up

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Myles Price (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown

Myles Price

The star of the day for the Vikings was Price, the second-year receiver who made the roster as an undrafted rookie because of his abilities as a return specialist. He’s been making plays as a receiver throughout training camp and continued to do so on Saturday, catching four passes for 51 yards and Minnesota’s lone touchdown.

Despite a defensive penalty in coverage, Price came back to the ball and caught a 17-yard pass from J.J. McCarthy early in the second quarter. He added another five-yard gain a few plays later. Then, in the third quarter, Price made a contested catch from Carson Wentz on the left sideline and picked up some yards after the catch. The 28-yard gain was the Vikings’ most explosive play of the day.

“I thought that was a phenomenal catch to get us going a little bit,” O’Connell said.

Later in the third quarter, after the Vikings failed to convert on a couple goal-line handoffs but were bailed out by a second Giants pass interference penalty in the end zone, Wentz lofted a fade to the right side for Price. Despite being listed as the shortest player on the Vikings’ roster at 5’9″, Price was able to make a spectacular one-handed grab and get down inbounds for the touchdown. Justin Jefferson, who spent most of the third quarter mic’d up on the FOX 9 broadcast, loved it.

“He worked his release and Carson put it out there for him,” O’Connell said. “It’s not all the time you throw the ball to one of your shortest receivers on a fade, but that’s a credit to Myles.”

Price has had an outstanding training camp and looked great on Saturday. He was probably already a roster lock because of his special teams role, but he may be forcing O’Connell to mix him in on offense when the regular season begins. It’s not out of the question that Price could surpass Tai Felton for the WR4 job.

The running game

We’ve heard all camp long about the Vikings’ focus on their revamped running game and how important they believe it can be for their offense. That was on full display during the one series that the first-team offense played to begin this game.

The Vikings’ first offensive play was an 18-yard Aaron Jones run that featured great blocking from Christian Darrisaw, Josh Oliver, and rookie fullback Max Bredeson on the left side.

A few plays later, Jordan Mason — who has apparently slimmed down a little and is having a great camp — burst through a big hole on the right and picked up 15 yards. Oliver, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill were among those with good blocks on the play.

Overall, the Vikings ran with Jones or Mason on six of nine plays and picked up 44 yards on those carries. With blockers like Oliver and Bredeson alongside a healthy offensive line, the Vikings have all the pieces to lean on their running game in 2026.

“That’s been a huge point of emphasis,” O’Connell said.” We want (our blockers) to run off the football, we want to get into these combinations, we want to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage. I thought it showed up. … It’s something that we have a total commitment to.”

Carson Wentz

Kyler Murray played the opening series at quarterback and McCarthy finished the first half. Almost all of the second half was handled by Wentz, who came back in the game because Max Brosmer picked up a minor thumb injury. Wentz looked good, leading a field goal drive and then capitalizing on an interception by throwing the touchdown to Price (while getting some help from Giants defensive penalties).

Wentz finished his day having completed 9 of 14 passes for 81 yards and a TD. He ran the operation smoothly and made a few nice throws over the course of the half. The Vikings brought him back this offseason to provide important depth in their quarterback room. It’s just one preseason game, but it doesn’t feel like a total stretch to wonder if Wentz might be a better backup option for Minnesota than McCarthy (more on him shortly).

Jacob Thomas

The Vikings had a number of defensive players stand out on a day where they had four sacks and two interceptions, but Thomas feels like one worth highlighting. The undrafted rookie out of James Madison has had an impressive training camp, and he displayed his instincts, range, and ball skills when he picked off Brandon Allen early in the fourth quarter.

With third-round pick Jakobe Thomas dealing with some back stiffness that has held him out of recent practices and Saturday’s game, Jacob Thomas has capitalized and is making a real run at a roster spot. It’s unfortunate, but the injury to Adams boosts the odds of Thomas making the team (although the Vikings may well add another safety). At worst, Thomas feels like a lock for a practice squad spot.

While we’re talking about safeties, we also have to highlight this huge hit from Jay Ward on Jaxson Dart in the first quarter.

Stock down

Aug 15, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) throws a pass against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium.

J.J. McCarthy

One of the big storylines coming into this game was how McCarthy would look less than a week after officially losing the Vikings’ quarterback competition. Quite frankly, it wasn’t a very encouraging performance. The pure numbers (4 for 7, 34 yards) don’t tell the whole story. Watching McCarthy play, it felt a lot like last season’s struggles. Everything he did he seemed somewhat difficult.

McCarthy’s first play was a botched jet sweep that turned into basically a QB power for one yard. The breakdown in timing may or may not have been his fault. Two plays later, on third and short, he threw well over the head of Jeshaun Jones, who was covered tightly.

The second series for McCarthy and the second-team offense was better. They picked up a first down on the ground, then got a 17-yard chunk to Price. But even though the play worked, it was a bit awkward, with McCarthy holding onto the ball and then throwing off of his back foot.

The Vikings were backed up by a holding penalty later in the series, but they should’ve converted when McCarthy made a good throw that gave Felton a chance to make the adjustment and pick up 20 yards. The second-year receiver dropped the ball.

On McCarthy’s third and final series, he was sacked on third and 5. McCarthy didn’t get a ton of help from his offensive line, but he also held onto the ball too long and still appears to be a tick slow with his processing and anticipation. Unless that improves, it would not be shocking to see him demoted further to QB3.

Average time to throw for Vikings QBs in this preseason game versus the Giants –

McCarthy: 3.38 seconds
not-McCarthy: 2.54 seconds https://t.co/sRr0ObIGN2

— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) August 15, 2026

Caleb Banks

Another player who fans were excited to watch play in this game was Banks, the Vikings’ first-round pick out of Florida this year. Now healthy after dealing with a foot injury for a year, Banks has rare size, power, and athleticism. He also has a lot of work to do.

The big concern on Banks’ scouting report coming out of college has to do with his pad level, leverage, and technique, especially on early downs against the run. That was visible in his preseason debut. There were a handful of reps where Banks was pushed back and washed out of the play by one or two offensive linemen.

It’s extremely early, so this is nothing to be overly concerned about. Banks had some better reps mixed in as well. It’s just a reminder that he still needs plenty of coaching and development moving forward. For now, Banks might not be one of the Vikings’ top three defensive tackles (Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins).

Ivan Pace Jr.

Since his breakout 2023 season as an undrafted rookie, Pace has fallen out of favor a bit in the Vikings’ linebacker room. Saturday might not exactly help his case. He was one of several players who took a bad angle on a 40-yard scamper by Devin Singletary to convert a third and 23 with a screen pass. Two plays later, Pace was mossed by 6’4″ Giants receiver Malachi Fields on the Giants’ one touchdown of the day. To be fair, that’s a tough assignment for a 5’10” linebacker.

The Vikings retained Pace as a restricted free agent this offseason because they like what he can bring as a downhill player on defense and special teams, but he may not be a total lock to make the 53-man roster.

Tai Felton

As mentioned earlier, Felton had an unfortunate drop on what should’ve been a nice completion from McCarthy to convert a second and 20. The second-year receiver has had some impressive moments over the course of training camp, but he’s also dealt with some drops at times. He’ll have to clean that up to hold onto the WR4 role.