Jaren Hall put an exclamation point on the end of Minnesota's preseason: 3-0!

The second-year Vikings signal-caller started under center, and played five possessions, at Philadelphia on Saturday. For most of Hall's reps, he defined what makes a quality quarterback: Poised. Tough. Accurate.

"I thought he did a great job," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell commented at his press conference.

Hall steered the 26-3 win with 189 yards passing, plus another 11 on the ground, and two touchdowns. He completed 12 of his first 13 throws and finished 17-for-25 (68%), good for a 116.8 passer rating.

"I'm proud of Jaren," said O'Connell, mentioning the 2023 fifth-round pick hasn't played a significant number of snaps in practices. "He's put a lot of work in that nobody really gets to see, throughout the offseason."

Hall orchestrated five straight scoring drives. He was efficient from the get-go – 6-for-7, 36 yards – in the shadow of Vikings running back Myles Gaskin, who rushed five times for 40 yards on the opening series.

Hall capped that possession with an 8-yard strike on a slant route to wide receiver Trishton Jackson. It counted for Jackson's third touchdown in as many games.

"That's his thing, right? – Trishton being in the end zone," Hall laughed afterwards in the visiting locker room at Lincoln Financial Field. "He's such a good player. He led the way out there."

Hall added to his candidacy to make the team outright, as well.

The 26-year-old passer let it fly on Minnesota's second series, feeding directly off the Vikings defense, which recovered a fumble by Eagles running back Tyrion Davis-Price at the Minnesota 36.

Hall's first big-time throw of the game was for 29 yards to Lucky Jackson, who did an outstanding job of separating from Eagles coverage on a route coming back to the ball. Jackson gained 10 after the catch.

Later on that drive, Hall threaded the needle down the seam in tight coverage to N'Keal Harry, a big-bodied former receiver who transitioned to tight end.

Hall made several more impressive plays. Lucky Jackson helped him out, too, with a spectacular helmet catch.

Let's recount a notable red-zone sequence in the last four minutes of the first half: On second-and-6, Hall went through his progressions, sensed danger, identified open grass and scrambled left out of bounds for 7 yards. Then he responded to consecutive misfires with patience, hitching in his drop as Justin Hall uncovered on a crossing route, and zipped a pass to the Viking (who signed on Aug. 19) for a touchdown.

Hall echoed O'Connell's debriefing that he played much faster Saturday – with his eyes, feet and legs.

"I'm just realizing that the preparation ends when you step on the field," Hall said of his growth. "Then the focus on the field is to play as fast as you can. Obviously, play slowly in your mind when you need to.

"We ran the ball really well on first down, so hats off to our o-line and backs – they ran hard [and made] great cuts," added Hall, noting that the initial 13-play, 7:40 possession built confidence. "It just started with the tempo up front. They moved the line of scrimmage. It's really easy when you can do that."

Unfortunately, Hall's game wasn't all clean. He was dropped twice on sacks, and had his follow-through affected inside the pocket by an Eagles defender on a pass targeting Justin Hall in the end zone. He also took a forearm shiver to the head/neck area on a delayed throw in the low-red zone early in the third quarter.

O'Connell said the initial intent was to have Hall play through the third quarter, but that play changed the coach's mind. Matt Corral stepped in to finish the game.

Corral, who signed one day before Minnesota's exhibition win at Cleveland, was bruised and limited to short pass attempts in his first extended look as a Viking. Corral was sacked by an Eagles blitz on his first drop back and finished 4-for-6 for 13 yards. His long completion was to Jeshaun Jones for 7.

"We just wanted to make sure at that point – he had a really good day – let's go ahead and put Matty in there and let him finish it," O'Connell said. "The thought was to try and get three quarters for Jaren."

O'Connell acknowledged that Hall's steady performance is a double-edged sword dependent on what the Vikings do numbers-wise with their roster spots – either keep a third quarterback, such as Hall, or try to stash him on the practice squad at the risk of him being poached.

A rule change this year allows teams to dress a third emergency quarterback, even if the player is on the practice squad. Last year, the emergency QB had to be on the 53-man roster to be eligible for such a role.

"That's part of it," O'Connell expressed, "because everybody is going to be aware of the good things Jaren did. But you also want to have a real evaluation. … You can see just the comfort he had early in the game; the growth from last year to now, where he's at, just running our system."

O'Connell added that Hall flashed what playing quarterback in the NFL is all about: Making correct reads and stacking plays; not trying to force an outcome. Hall did the former with rhythm and anticipation.

Saturday's line improved his exhibition clip to 28-for-46 (60.9%), with 339 yards and four touchdowns.

"Maybe it's the former quarterback in me that wants to make sure guys always feel like they get real opportunities in our offense," O'Connell explained. "That's part of it, though, knowing that other people are going to see your good players doing some good things. Jaren certainly had a good day."

Whatever happens next, Hall isn't worried.

"You see it from close friends who have come and gone," he said, referencing Tuesday's impending roster cutdown, where the Vikings will trim their roster to 53 players. "It's a crazy league, you never know what to expect, good or bad. For me, it's enjoying the day off tomorrow and seeing what happens."