The Jacksonville Jaguars go on the road as they face the Minnesota Vikings at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Week 2 of the 2018 NFL preseason.
This match isn’t just an inter-conference showdown but it is also a battle between two teams who lost in the Conference championship game last season. The Jaguars won the AFC South with their 10-6 record and went all the way to the AFC title game where they were vanquished by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
On the other hand, the Vikings took the NFC North after posting a 13-3 regular season record. However, Minnesota was blown off the field by the eventual Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game.
After a strong 2017 season, the Minnesota Vikings opened their preseason play firing on all cylinders. The Vikings came to Denver last Saturday and outgunned the Broncos 42-28, scoring nine more points than any team in week 1 of the 2018 NFL preseason. Minnesota dominated the contest as they outgained the Broncos 406-299, won the battle of first downs 24-14 and had more possession time 35:44 to 24:16.
Kirk Cousins passed 4-4 for 42 yards with one touchdown in his first game for the Vikings while Kyle Slotter went 9-11 for 69 yards with one touchdown. Slotter also added a 14-yard rushing touchdown to his 2018 preseason debut. However, it was Trevor Siemian who produced big numbers behind the center for The Vikings as he completed 11 out of 17 passes for a total of 165 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Latavius Murray led the Minnesota rushing game with 43 rushing yards on 11 carries. Roc Thomas and Stefon Diggs combined for three touchdowns on a total of 137 receiving yards and six catches.
On defense, it was Tray Matthews who led Minnesota with seven tackles. Tashawn Bower added one sack while Anthony Harris had one interception for the Minnesota defense which complimented their high powered offense in week 1.
The Jacksonville Jaguars hope to get back on the winning side after coming up short in week 1. The Jaguars led the Saints 13-10 at the half and took a 20-10 lead at the end of the third period before folding in the final quarter of play.
Blake Bortles picked up where he left off last season as the 26-year-old went 6-9 for 63 yards while displaying his mobility outside of the pocket by scoring on a two-yard rushing touchdown. But it was free agent signee Cody Kessler who did most of the damage on air by going 14-17 for a total of 139 passing yards. Rookie Tanner Lee from Nebraska also saw action for the Jaguars but had a rough outing after losing a fumble and getting sacked five times.
Leonard Fournette led the Jaguars with five carries and 24 rushing yards and TJ Yeldon had 24 yards also on five carries. Meanwhile, receivers Shane Wynn and Corey Grant each had 39 receiving yards. Dede Westbrook also caught for 32 yards while Donte Moncrief added 21. All four receivers had three catches for the Jaguars who also got a couple of field goals from Josh Lambo.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost six of their last nine preseason games while the Vikings have won seven of their last nine preseason contests. Minnesota has more depth here, especially in the quarterback position. In their first preseason game, the Vikings showed their ability to move the ball around very well regardless of who the play caller on the field was.
Cousins was sharp in his team debut while Siemian also played very well against his former team. Even Sloter looked impressive as it was he who rallied the team to victory. The Jaguars also have a good quarterback rotation only that third-stringer Lee wasn’t as good as his Viking counterpart. Having said that, Minnesota has the advantage here, although it may not be that much.
Players like Roc Thomas who can pull off surprises are what makes the Vikings a better pick in this game. Stefon Diggs looks like he is going to establish a connection with Cousins.
Minnesota looked good in their opener and they are playing this one at home. I don’t expect them to play as well as they did in their first preseason encounter but they should be good enough to hold off the challenge from the Jaguars. We’re picking the Minnesota Vikings to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on 8/18/18.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
