The Vikings mostly brought out second-team players against the Broncos on Saturday — and it showed.
Minnesota fell to Denver 33-6 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Quarterback Drew Lock picked apart the Vikings defense in limited reps. The Minnesota offense couldn’t do much, and on the rare occasion the team was able to get to the red zone, the group could not finish off the drive with a touchdown.
Mostly, there were not a lot of positive Vikings takeaways. Although, there were still some player whose stock rose with the performance, while others lowered their stock.
Here is the stock up, stock down report from the preseason-opening loss:
Stock up: K Greg Joseph
Aug 14, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph (1) kicks a field goal against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Joseph took the kicking reps on Saturday and the veteran went 2-for-2. Joseph is competing with undraftedd free agent Riley Patterson for the Vikings kicker spot. Joseph certainly didn’t do anything to lose the position in the preseason opener.
Stock down: CB Cameron Dantzler
Aug 14, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver K.J. Hamler (1) catches an 80 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Lock (not pictured) as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler (27) defends at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Dantzler, one of the few notable Vikings to suit up against the Broncos, was beaten on a deep ball when Drew Lock connected with K.J. Hamler for an 80-yard touchdown. Yes, yes, there were a lot of second-team players in for Minnesota. But Dantzler will at least be a key member of the cornerback rotation and might even start in 2021.
Stock up: QB Kellen Mond
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond (11) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
In my opinion, Mond did enough Saturday to make the backup quarterback contest interesting. There were plenty of reasons to hate on Mond’s performance — his footwork needs to improve and he only finished with 53 passing yards. But Mond was effective on scrambles, going for 25 rushing yards. He wasn’t perfect, but he raised his stock against Denver.
Stock down: G Dakota Dozier
Minnesota Vikings offensive guard Dakota Dozier (78) in action in the second quarter during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Minneapolis. The Bears defeated the Vikings 33-27. (AP Photo/David Berding)
Dozier’s stock wasn’t exactly high after a disappointing 2020 as a full-time starter. However, the Vikings guard was still getting first-team reps in training camp. On Saturday, though, Dozier was not able to prove the doubters wrong: He had a holding penalty when Jake Browning was in the end zone, resulting in a safety. He had an overall PFF grade of 20.9.
Stock up: G Wyatt Davis
Minnesota Vikings guard Wyatt Davis participates at NFL football training camp Friday, July 30, 2021, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
During training camp, Davis was not participating in a lot of practices due to injury. When given an opportunity to impress against Denver, the Vikings rookie guard did just that: he tallied an overall PFF grade of 78.9.
Stock down: P Britton Colquitt
Minnesota Vikings punter Britton Colquitt punts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Colquitt finished with four punts for a net average of 40.5 yards and a long of 48. Mike Zimmer — when asked whether Colquitt just had a bad day or was it a cause for concern — chose the latter. Colquitt is currently the only punter on the roster. That said, the Vikings waived two players recently, so the team might be ready to bring in some other competition.
Stock up: RB A.J. Rose
Aug 14, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back AJ Rose (36) runs the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Rose, an undrafted free agent, was one of the few offensive players to truly perform well in the game. He finished with 100 rushing yards on 25 carries, for an average of 4 yards per carry.
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