The Vikings went 3-0 in the preseason with a 20-12 win over the Oakland Raiders on a rainy, windy Saturday evening at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It wasn’t all that pretty in terms of the weather or the performance of the starters, the Star Tribune observes.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater struggled early in the game, with several off-target throws and dropped passes. The running game wasn’t much better, as Jerick McKinnon had only 25 yards on 12 carries. And kicker Blair Walsh had a bad night as well, missing three field goals and an extra point, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press
Walsh was wide right on a 35-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, perhaps due to the windy conditions.
https://twitter.com/GoesslingESPN/status/635246913877594112
Oakland scored a touchdown on its next possession. The Raiders capped a 75-yard, six-play drive with a two-yard TD run by Latavius Murray. The Vikings kept Murray out of the end zone on the two-point conversion, and Oakland was up 6-0.
Minnesota came back on its next drive to tie the game. Bridgewater threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Charles Johnson, who made a fingertip catch in the back corner of the end zone. (Watch the video here)
Walsh missed the 33-yard extra-point try – the new distance – and the game was tied 6-6.
Bridgewater was then done for the night, and Shaun Hill took over on the Vikings’ next series.
This is what I have for Teddy in 3 preseason games:
22-28 for 219 yds with 1 TD, 0 INT and a passer rating of 111.1.#Vikings #skol
— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) August 23, 2015
The weather turned downright ugly late in the second quarter, when lightning struck nearby.
RT @mark_tarello:#Lightning earlier tonight during the #Vikings game in #Minneapolis, MN. Photo credit: Warren Sharp. pic.twitter.com/Dr0C2RVv2q
— NWS Grand Forks (@NWSGrandForks) August 23, 2015
The game was delayed for about an hour, and fans were evacuated to nearby University of Minnesota facilities while the two teams waited it out in their locker rooms.
The game resumed about 9:15 p.m., and former Viking Christian Ponder took over the offense for Oakland on the Raiders’ first drive after the break. He was greeted by a chorus of boos from the Minnesota crowd.
Ponder led the Raiders on three drives; two of them ended in field goals. The first gave Oakland a 9-6 lead with 2:07 left in the first half.
But the lead didn’t last long, as Hill connected with Chase Ford on a two-yard TD pass with just 8 seconds left in the half. Walsh converted the extra point, and Minnesota led 13-9 at halftime.
Because of the long weather delay, there was only a two-minute “halftime.”
The Vikings tried out Taylor Heinicke at quarterback after the break. Oakland closed to within one point, 13-12, on a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter.
But Minnesota’s Brian Peters intercepted Ponder late in the third quarter and returned the ball 21 yards to the 1-yard line. Three plays later, tight end Blake Renaud scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 20-12.
Walsh was the NFL’s least accurate kicker last season, and head coach Mike Zimmer expressed some concern about his performance.
Mike Zimmer on Blair Walsh: "He has to kick better than he did tonight … he's gotta make those kicks. Probably cost us 10 pts tonight."
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) August 23, 2015
Blair Walsh: "I have to do better. Preseason or regular season, that cannot happen and I know that."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) August 23, 2015
A win is a win, though, and Zimmer is now 7-0 in preseason games so far with the Vikings.
"We've got a lot of work to do, we've got a long way to go." – Coach Zimmer
WATCH: http://t.co/NkhCBfkwhU pic.twitter.com/veYPoARZhb
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 23, 2015
The Vikings play Dallas next weekend.
