Vikings-49ers offered little in the way of offense or insight
The giant glass doors were open at US Bank Stadium on Saturday evening because it was beautiful outside and Minnesotans probably would have chosen to go kayaking or enjoy their last weekend at the cabin if they had known about the starting lineups for the Minnesota Vikings’ second preseason game.
The only (presumed) starter on offense was rookie right guard Ed Ingram. On defense, well, they should have handed out rosters at the door.
Not that their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, were any different. Trey Lance’s squad wasn’t interested in a nostalgic homecoming.
He watched from the sideline. At least the teams had their starters dress up in their sports pajamas for warm ups so the early arriving fans got some small peak at the 2022 starters.
Welcome to the modern era of the NFL preseason. If you listened close you could hear Mike Zimmer’s blood pressure rising from northern Kentucky.
After the NFL canceled the 2020 preseason and football carried on normally after that, there was no reason to put starters in ever again.
It’s clear Vikings new head coach Kevin O’Connell would prefer that his starters stay healthy rather than showing them off to the public for three drives.