The Broncos Blowout is Exactly What the Vikings Needed

The Minnesota Vikings opened the preseason on Saturday and got their asses kicked. Even the most pessimistic Vikings fan couldn’t have imagined how awful their performance would be as they were dominated 33-6 by the Denver Broncos.

But it was a good thing it happened.

Minnesota decided to bench a total of 30 players on Saturday including 20 starters as they looked to evaluate some of the players on the back end of the depth chart. While this resulted in a roster that was reserved for a final preseason game, it was exactly what the Vikings needed to do.

In previous off-seasons, teams were given one day to cut down to the final 56-man roster. Beginning this season, the cuts have been spaced out throughout camp with teams needing to get down from 90 players to 85 by Thursday afternoon.

While the Vikings could have given their starters extra reps, it was more efficient for the team to see what they had on the roster. As it turns out, they have plenty of shopping to do.

The backup quarterback position is something that should be high on the Vikings' list of upgrades after the performance of Jake Browning. While Kellen Mond’s main goal was to get some game action, Browning was playing for his job after making the start for Kirk Cousins. In a situation that could play out during the regular season, Browning stepped in and proceeded to check down at every opportunity. While his supporting cast didn’t do him any favors, Browning looked frantic in the pocket and threw a pick-six to Patrick Surtain II.

Much like Browning, the same urgency is needed in upgrading the offensive line. The Vikings re-signed Dakota Dozier hoping that he could magically improve from the past two seasons but they were rewarded with a pair of holding penalties and two pressures allowed.

The safety position was also a major problem. Camryn Bynum has drawn praise from Mike Zimmer throughout the offseason but a blown coverage on an 80-yard touchdown to K.J. Hamler signals he isn’t ready for significant playing time. Fellow safety Myles Dorn also isn’t the solution with a team-high four missed tackles on Saturday.

Even punter Britton Colquitt couldn’t escape the poor performance on Saturday after failing to record a punt over 40 yards on three of his four attempts. If it wasn’t for a generous roll on the other attempt, it would have been an imperfect afternoon.

None of these outcomes were ones that Mike Zimmer wanted to see, but they were things he needed to know if he’s going to field a successful football team in 2021.

Depth could be a major issue for the Vikings this season. With the normal risk of injury amplified by the lowest vaccination rate in the NFL, the Vikings needed to know what they had behind their starters. Entering Saturday, the Vikings could have felt like they were going to be OK but after this performance, they know that they have work to do.

Saturday was the kind of game that Zimmer wished he had last season. When the purple marched into the regular season with Holton Hill and Mike Hughes as their starters at cornerback, they did so blindly without any game action to evaluate them. When they got that action, the Vikings were 1-5 and the season was a lost cause.

With Saturday the Vikings can hit a waiver wire that will have 160 players available by Thursday afternoon. That could help them bring in a backup quarterback, safety and anything else they need to make sure they have a proper contingency plan.

The Vikings’ performance vs the Broncos was one that many hope won’t happen when the starters get out there. But because it happened, the Vikings put themselves to be a better team in 2021.