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\u2019Connell arrived, have already produced noise in practice.<\/p>\n
They entered Saturday\u2019s preseason game wanting to further establish a tone. That\u2019s why left tackle Christian Darrisaw played in Saturday\u2019s preseason game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. That\u2019s why the team\u2019s first offensive snap featured heavy personnel and a handoff to running back Aaron Jones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what (Kevin O\u2019Connell) wanted to see,\u201d quarterback Kyler Murray said. \u201cGuys come off the ball, get the run game going.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The run game is a good place to start when evaluating the Vikings\u2019 quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
Murray\u2019s command at the line of scrimmage warrants mention as part of a complete breakdown, including insights on how J.J. McCarthy performed.<\/p>\n