The Minnesota Vikings lost their second preseason game of the season over the weekend and the quarterback position, namely the fight for the backup job behind starter J.J. McCarthy, took center stage.
Minnesota fell to the New England Patriots by a score of 20-12 on Saturday, August 16, in a contest McCarthy sat out entirely. Current QB2 Sam Howell started for the Vikings and struggled mightily, completing 1-of-5 passes for just 13 yards, one interception and a 0.0 quarterback rating.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell pulled Howell from the game after the first quarter, inserting Brett Rypien for the second stanza and undrafted free-agent rookie Max Brosmer for the entirety of the second half. Reporters asked O’Connell about those decisions following the contest.
“It was really not a matter of anything Sam did or didn’t do,” O’Connell said. “I envisioned Max having the whole second half, but I wanted to make sure that [Rypien] wasn’t a victim of the clock there, where all of the sudden his time goes.”
O’Connell also spoke directly to Howell’s overall day.
For a lot of his chunk of time in there, [Howell] went up against their starting unit. We sat a lot of guys today, so it was going to be tough. But … I’m looking at just guys going out there and playing physical and executing and playing with detail and throwing and catching in the pass game.
So obviously we didn’t get off to the fast start we wanted. But no, that decision had nothing to do with any kind of performance-based decision. It was more about a plan to try to get all three guys in a game, and now we can obviously assess with four quarters next week the best way to handle it.
Vikings QB2 Job Still Up for Grabs as Sam Howell Struggles, Max Brosmer Shines
GettyQuarterback Max Brosmer of the Minnesota Vikings.
O’Connell also spoke at length about Brosmer and admitted that the competition for the QB2 position remains wide open in Minnesota.
“What I loved about Max is there were some breakdowns up front and maybe he couldn’t progress and read through concepts, but he plays with very fast eyes and very rarely puts the ball in harm’s way when he’s doing it, which is a unique trait,” O’Connell explained.
The coach noted an explosive play Brosmer made in the pass game, which referees reversed via a penalty, as well as a “dagger throw” on fourth down. Both examples displayed the relatively high ceiling Brosmer brings with him to the Vikings huddle.
“The things … that he’s done and shows consistently [are] why he’s getting the reps that he is. I thought Brett Rypien did some good things, and obviously Sam had some tough circumstances,” O’Connell continued. “There’s a reason why we’re playing all three of them. As far as like what that means in the overall competition, I would just say it’s still open and we’re trying to figure out what that room is gonna like for the season.”
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Still “Likes” All 3 Backup Quarterbacks Behind J.J. McCarthy
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The circumstances Howell faced Saturday — playing against an opponent’s starting defense, potentially without some of his top weapons and/or absent the full first-team offensive line — are the same ones he’ll encounter if he wins the QB2 job and the coaching staff ever calls his number.
Howell had a better week of practice leading into the game against New England, though he fell flat on the field against the Patriots. He was better in his first outing of the preseason, which Minnesota won over the Houston Texans.
Howell finished that contest with 105 passing yards after completing 11-of-13 attempts and earned a rating of 100.3. That said, he struggled against Minnesota’s first-team defense for the majority of the first couple weeks of training camp in late July and early August.
O’Connell kept Howell firmly in the mix for the QB2 job during his postgame interview, though did not separate him meaningfully from either Brosmer or Rypien.
“I do like all the [three] players, a lot,” O’Connell said.
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