Behind the scenes, the Minnesota Vikings are excited. They prioritized their run game this offseason. And those changes, more extensive than any other since head coach Kevin O’Connell arrived, have already produced noise in practice.
They entered Saturday’s preseason game wanting to further establish a tone. That’s why left tackle Christian Darrisaw played in Saturday’s preseason game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. That’s why the team’s first offensive snap featured heavy personnel and a handoff to running back Aaron Jones.
“That’s what (Kevin O’Connell) wanted to see,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. “Guys come off the ball, get the run game going.”
This focus prevented Murray from airing it out in his first action with the Vikings. It did, though, clarify the direction, which took a step forward last week when the Vikings named Murray as their starter.
The run game is a good place to start when evaluating the Vikings’ quarterbacks.
Murray’s command at the line of scrimmage warrants mention as part of a complete breakdown, including insights on how J.J. McCarthy performed.