The Vikings fell to the Dolphins 30-9 in the preseason finale for both teams on Thursday.
The night was an opportunity for young players on the Vikings and Dolphins to gain game experience and make their cases for coveted roster spots with their respective teams or put quality plays on film to serve as a resume for other teams.
All teams must reduce their rosters from 90 players to 53 by Saturday.
Many final team stats were similar, despite the three-score spread.
Here are three stats that stood out in creating the differentiation:
1. 5 of 20
The Vikings defense allowed five pass plays of 20 or more yards, including a 28-yard reception on Miami's opening possession and a 65-yard touchdown. The Dolphins added receptions of 39, 27 and 24 later in the game.
The Dolphins scored touchdowns on four of their five possessions that included a pass of at least 20 yards.
View game action images as the Vikings battle the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night for the final preseason game of 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
2. 5 and 11
The Dolphins sacked Vikings quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Mitch Leidner a total of five times and were credited with 11 quarterback hits by press box statisticians. Heinicke was sacked two times, and Leidner was taken down three times.
The Vikings pressured Dolphins quarterbacks Brandon Doughty and David Fales multiple times and were credited with seven quarterback hits but only recorded one sack. Dylan Bradley dropped Doughty for a loss of 13 that forced a 45-yard field goal that was missed by Andrew Franks.
3. 8 for 65
The Vikings were assessed eight penalties for 65 yards, but two infractions stood above others because they undid opportunities for Minnesota's defense to get off the field and led to a pair of touchdowns.
The first was a pass interference call on Tre Roberson on fourth-and-2 from the Minnesota 20-yard line.
Jakeem Grant, who caught four passes for 141 yards, drew the penalty, and the Dolphins were awarded the ball at the 1. Miami scored two plays later.
The second infraction occurred on a taunting call against Mackensie Alexander after he broke up a pass intended for Grant on third-and-5 from the Minnesota 13.
The Dolphins were awarded a new set of downs and placement of the ball that was half-the-distance to the goal. Miami scored a play later when Fales connected with former Gopher and Viking MarQueis Gray for a 6-yard touchdown.
Miami then forced a safety on Minnesota's next snap, scoring nine points in the final 24 seconds of the first half, turning a 14-6 edge into a 23-6 margin at the break.
