MINNEAPOLIS -- Players might see them as an unnecessary injury risk, and fans might loathe them for their lack of intensity, but preseason games do serve an effective purpose for coaches: They help them pinpoint exactly where to drill their teams before the start of the regular season.
Judging on that basis, the Minnesota Vikings' defense could be in for an earful from head coach Mike Zimmer this week.
Zimmer didn't mince words in a TV interview at halftime of the team's 17-16 win on Friday over the Cincinnati Bengals, saying the defense was "awful."
He wasn't much keener about the unit's performance in his postgame comments:
"Not good enough," Zimmer said. "Soft in the running game, poor in third-and-1 situations, soft with the linebackers."
It was easy to see why he was upset, especially on the Bengals' second drive. The Vikings had pulled many of their established starters after one series, but they allowed the Bengals to convert six consecutive third downs before stiffening near the goal line. For the first half, the Bengals converted 7 of 10 third downs and held the ball for more than 18 minutes.
It's safe to assume Zimmer will remind his players of those numbers as the team gets ready for its second preseason game in Seattle on Thursday.
Here are four more takeaways from the Vikings' preseason opener:
Waynes up and down in first outing: Terence Newman's absence on Friday night created a big opportunity for 2015 first-rounder Trae Waynes, and the cornerback nearly hauled in an interception, and he made a solid open-field tackle. Waynes didn't come down with the diving interception of that A.J. McCarron pass, but he did a nice job gaining leverage on Tyler Boyd and squeezing him toward the sideline to take away McCarron's throwing lane. Zimmer has stressed the need for Waynes to deny his man the ball when he's tested, though. He wasn't completely happy with the Michigan State product. His postgame comments about Waynes hit on some familiar themes: The Vikings have talked with Waynes about lining up closer to his man, and Zimmer pointed out a third-and-1 on which Waynes was nine yards off the line of scrimmage, allowing an easy catch on a stop route for a first down. "If balls are going to be caught on you, they need to be contested," Zimmer told reporters after the game. "That one wasn't as good as what we prefer. A lot of this is a learning experience for a lot of these guys." The Bengals tested Waynes early, and it could behoove the Vikings to give him plenty of first-team work against Russell Wilson and Philip Rivers in their next two preseason games.
Thielen shows why he's pushing for a bigger role: The Vikings' decision to list Adam Thielen ahead of Jarius Wright on their initial depth chart attracted some attention, and while Zimmer cautioned not to read too much into how the team has used Thielen so far, it's hard to imagine he won't play a larger role in the offense this year than he has in the past. His leaping 22-yard catch was an impressive example of what the Vikings want to add to their offense this year. Lining up in the slot, Thielen got inside of Josh Shaw on a skinny post, and Bridgewater found him just in front of safety Derron Smith. The Vikings want to see Bridgewater give his receivers chances to make plays, and Thielen did that with his leaping catch. As valuable as he has become on special teams, it's hard to imagine him only making contributions there in 2016.
Treadwell one of several impressive rookies: First-round pick Laquon Treadwell got off to a solid start, catching four passes for 41 yards, including an 18-yarder from Shaun Hill. He got quite a bit of work in the middle quarters and presented a reliable target over the middle for the Vikings' backup quarterback. Treadwell wasn't the only standout from the 2016 draft class: Second-rounder Mackensie Alexander hauled in an interception off a tipped pass, and sixth-rounder David Morgan, who got some time with the Vikings' first-team offense, caught three passes for 38 yards. And after safety Jayron Kearse got beat for a red zone touchdown, he closed the night in impressive fashion, drilling Joe Licata on a blitz and finishing the game by leaping to take away a deep fourth-down pass from two Bengals receivers, using his 6-foot-4 frame to pull down an interception.
Punt return for touchdown doesn't help Locke's case: Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer has said punter Jeff Locke needs to have a consistent camp to avoid the team bringing in competition for him, and the Bengals nearly tied Friday night's game on a punt that Locke would probably like to have back. He blasted a 61-yarder with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter, but the kick gave Alex Erickson time to get a running start and set up his blocks. The Vikings had a number of missed tackles on Erickson's touchdown return, but it's worth noting that Zimmer said the punt was bad when he was asked about the touchdown after the game. Though Locke put four of his six punts inside the 20, the return for a score certainly wasn't a play he wanted to have on his résumé to start the preseason.
