MINNEAPOLIS – Dallas Turner is good as advertised.

The Vikings rookie outside linebacker thwarted a potential Raiders touchdown drive on the first defensive series of his NFL career. Turner did it true to form, too, sacking Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O'Connell on third-and-3 at Minnesota's 3-yard line. It stalled a 15-play, 83-yard drive that lasted 7:42 and forced a field goal.

Limiting points on that drive ultimately helped Minnesota prevail 24-23 on Saturday to open the preseason.

And, it confirmed what we thought: The Vikings drafted a talented player with the 17^th overall pick.

Turner was an instant star Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, making his presence felt off the edge the same way he did at the University of Alabama – with extreme bend, burst off the ball and a flair for finishing.

"It felt fake at first, I'm not even going to lie," Turner said after with a big smile breaking on his face.

The first (unofficial) professional sack for Turner forced a double-take. Was that Danielle Hunter?

Turner exploded out of his two-point stance on the right side of the line of scrimmage, pressured the outside shoulder of Raiders left tackle Andrus Peat and then lowered his center of gravity. Turner ducked beneath Peat's lunging punch, ripped his left arm up and through and bear-hugged O'Connell to the turf.

The 21-year-old edge rusher stayed on his feet for the team's first sack of the preseason.

Who cares that it won't count toward Turner's career total – it's an unforgettable moment for the future face of the Vikings defensive front; not to mention it occurred against a three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman in Peat, the 13^th overall pick by the Saints nine years ago who has 102 career starts on his belt.

Turner knew his adversary. He planned his pass-rush arsenal by watching tape of the 10-year veteran and decided to use what he calls a "ghost" move, "dipping and running" past the Raiders bookend. He was frank postgame, admitting the Raiders linemen didn't stack up to who he sees throughout the week.

"We practice against Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill every day," said Turner, explicitly stating he thought the competition was different. "It's definitely a good advantage going against those dudes."

Shout out to the Vikings O-line!

It wasn't the only time Turner was felt. A few plays before gently dropping O'Connell, he flattened him.

On third-and-1 from the Vikings 16-yard line, O'Connell completed a pass to rookie tight end Brock Bowers in the flat for a first down. But it cost the Raiders quarterback dearly. Turner laid his frame into the quarterback's blind side at the end of his throwing motion. A new set of downs was a net positive for the Raiders offense, but the play might have shaken O'Connell's conviction. The Raiders passer briefly stayed on one knee, glanced at his sideline and then waved them off as to let them know he was fine.

Fine until he was sacked by Turner three plays later.

Turner noted the initial blast on O'Connell knocked the rust off his game.

"After I got that little first thud in, I got back into that mode," said Turner, adding it allowed him to let loose and have fun. As for his sack? "I definitely [won't] forget about that. Many more to come," he said.

It was a short debut (22 snaps) for Turner, yet very, very convincing.

FANTASTIC FIRST-TIMERS

A small group of Vikings rookies popped Saturday. The trendiest position was defensive line, which featured sacks by Levi Drake Rodriguez (Texas A&M-Commerce) and Bo Richter (Air Force). There also was key blocking courtesy sixth-round tackle Walter Rouse, and important highs and one low for quarterback J.J. McCarthy before kicker Will Reichard's game-winning kick that surely will benefit them down the road.

Let's zoom in on the microscope.

Levi Drake Rodriguez

Rodriguez, a massive ball of energy, "had a plan in mind" for Saturday, and executed it.

The seventh-round draft pick recorded a couple tackles, one sack and one swatted pass on a screen attempt. Also, he provided spectacular vibes, consistently encouraging teammates on the bench with high-fives and leading on the field with his spirited personality – that literally never takes a play off.

His NFL debut was everything he imagined. "And more," Rodriguez said.

One thing particularly amazed him: Players and coaches can dissect film from previous snaps on the sideline. It's a technology that was unavailable to Rodriguez in college, and he thinks it was invaluable.

"That's freaking sick," Rodriguez said about immediately breaking his repetitions down. "[I got] better throughout the game … knowing what I can do the next drive, the next play, that was interesting."

Rodriguez shared his joy with about 25 family members, stopping to say hello before resting in the locker room, after the Vikings win. He said "it sounded like draft day" because of all the whooping and hollering.

J.J. McCarthy

The final line wasn't perfect, but it's promising: 11-for-17, 188 yards passing, two touchdowns, one interception, plus two carries for 18 yards. McCarthy looked like a rookie. A very talented rookie.

"After the interception … [I] felt like I was playing free and having fun," McCarthy said.

It looked that way. The 10^th overall pick flung dots to Trishton Jackson and Trent Sherfield, Sr., for 45- and 33-yard touchdown strikes. They were, as the kids would say (yeah, us, as well), on the money.

The interception can be attributed to a bad choice and bad mechanics. McCarthy threw off-schedule, off his back foot nonetheless, to Jackson. The ball was underthrown and undercut by Raiders ball-magnet defensive back Jack Jones. It was a good lesson for McCarthy. A good, bad decision to encounter.

But his bounce back was impressive.

Will Reichard

Aug. 24, 2019. That was the most recent Vikings preseason win. Well, until Saturday.

Reichard's walk-off field goal that sent the Raiders packing by a point has a pretty unbelievable set up. His first field-goal attempt, a kick he thought he hit well, was blocked. His redemption boot from 38 yards wasn't just clutch – it was called. In Friday's team meeting, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell predicted it.

That Reichard would lift the Vikings to victory in the last seconds.

"So, I had to come through and produce," said Reichard, recalling the funny but real moment.

Reichard's mind was clear as the Vikings marched down the field and positioned the rookie specialist for his first test in front of a "super electric" preseason crowd. Reichard said he fully trusted his preparation.

Snap. Hold. Kick.

"Everybody kind of swarmed me so I was trying to hold my head because they were hitting my head so hard," said Reichard, motioning in the locker room with both arms how he tried to protect his noggin.

Bo Richter

Size, length, metrics, forget about all of it. A Richter scale is needed to measure Richter's play style.

He's fearless. Strong. Smart, and determined to contribute however he can.

On Saturday that meant a sack – scorekeepers took away a second because the play was deemed a "quarterback draw"; c'mon man! – and five total tackles.

"It's nice to know that you stack up and can go out there and make plays," Richter said. "It's a different stage and different league, but it's the same game. We hone instincts for so long, and they don't go away."

That's a fact.

Richter notched unofficial sack No. 1 of his career on an inside rush that was completely natural.

"When you see an inside track, you always take it," explained Richter, mentioning that his reaction afterwards was par for course, too. "I always kind of got made fun of in college. I'm not a sack dance guy. I just kind of go out there and let my emotions take over when I'm done. I don't think that'll change."

Richter said he's dealt with difficulty playing loose in training camp. He realized Saturday that he can't do everything that he's learning on every single rep all at once, but that he can mesh the new knowledge he's obtained from Vikings coaches with the techniques and tricks that have regularly worked for him.

He imagined he would be nervous. But instincts took over.

Richter's sack happened on his first defensive play of the game – the opening snap of the third quarter.

The *second* sack was late in the third quarter and made possible by a planned stunt that freed Richter to course his favorite inside track. He pinned Raiders quarterback Anthony Brown for a loss of 9 yards.

But Brown was technically moving forward … on a designed quarterback run.

"Those don't exist," O'Connell quipped at his postgame press conference.

"That's all right," Richter added. "I'm not a stat-chaser. I go out and make the plays that come to me."

Walter Rouse

Rouse and Rodriguez might be the two most positive characters in the NFL.

"I'm really kind of speechless," said the 6-foot-6, 313-pound tackle, unable to slow down his voice or control his grin. "I'm so giddy, probably too happy right now but I just can't wait to see what's next."

Rouse was blown away by his first game – er, first time even visiting – at U.S. Bank Stadium. He soaked in the experience by chanting along with fans during pregame. He reenacted the feeling, "Skol! Skol! Skol!"

Rouse stresses that part of his growth will depend on leaving bad plays behind him. He points out a poor rep that resulted in McCarthy taking a shot in the pocket from a defender and says he can be better.

He thinks he managed that aspect of his game pretty well overall.

It showed. Rouse had critical blocks on two major plays in Minnesota's 24-23 win. He manhandled an edge defender on Kene Nwangwu's 48-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and helped Reichard nail his game-winner by sticking all fours in cement on the field goal unit and keeping his kicker clean.

"That's going to be required of me each and every time," Rouse said about his catapulting run block where he kept his hands tight and feet churning. "Take 'em to the school bus, take 'em to the sideline."

Rouse credited the consistency of his teammates in practice for success in his first NFL game.