Vikings touchdowns from preseason game vs. Raiders show shift in philosophy

The Minnesota Vikings found themselves earning their first preseason win since 2019 24-23 over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon. They had four scoring drives with three of them being led by rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy .

The three touchdowns the Vikings scored show a shift in how the Vikings are going to play offense, especially in the running game.

Kene Nwangwu bursts through for a long touchdown

The Vikings for years have prioritized zone concepts in their running game. The idea is that holes can open up in any gap and it's on the running back to hit the right hole. Doing so can confuse the defense on where to fit the run and cause explosives easier than a gap run.

The Vikings haven't had a player who is great at hitting the right hole with explosiveness since Dalvin Cook circa 2020-2021. This year, the Vikings seem to be shifting to more of a gap-centric attack and Kene Nwangwu's touchdown run is a prime example.

This is a simple off-tackle run. Tyrese Robinson helps Michael Jurgens seal off the inside before climbing to the second level. Walter Rouse drives his defender to the outside to open the hole and Trent Sherfield does a great job sealing off the slot defender.

The play itself had the defense crashing to the inside and all Nwangwu needs to do is hit the hole and take advantage of the safety taking a very poor angle.

This is what the Vikings run game is likely to consist of: hit the hole and make a play. Nwangwu and Ty Chandler both struggle to see the proper hole in zone concepts. This takes that out of the equation and focuses on the speed that can gash defenses.

Trishton Jackson manipulates the cornerback

One of the plays that the Vikings can use with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is what they ran with Jackson for a 45-yard touchdown.

This is a relatively simple concept. Jackson is running a go route where he attacks the cornerback's blind spot. McCarthy sees the single high coverage and anticipates Jackson breaking back outside and hits a layup for the touchdown.

This type of play from McCarthy is great to see right now. He's a rookie quarterback which means that there will be growing pains. Seeing him hit throws like this with anticipation is a great sight to see.

This concept will translate for Jefferson and Addison and become a long-term staple for the Vikings.

Deception springs Trent Sherfield

One of the things that the Vikings like to do is bring deception onto the field. They achieved that when Sherfield sprung wide-open for a touchdown.

The Vikings like to motion another tight end into the C gap or flex position. That is often a tight end of C.J. Ham. Sherfield is an excellent blocker which gives a little bit of extra credence to a run to the strong side.

Instead of running the ball, they run play-action and the entire right side of the defense bites on the fake. Sherfield runs a deep corner route for an easy touchdown. Coverage busts aren't something you can expect consistently, but this concept is something you can expect to see more this year.

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