Stay up to date on tonight's preseason home opener as the Vikings take on the Buccaneers at TCF Bank Stadium.
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10:20 - The Vikings move to 2-0 on the preseason with a 26-16 win over the Bucs. Stay tuned to vikings.com for full postgame coverage.
9:22 –With a Mike James TD plunge following a turnover by the Vikings offense, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have inched closer in Saturday night's preseason game.
The Tampa touchdown and ensuing PAT made the score 26-16 in favor of the Vikings, with plenty of time to play.
With 7:56 to go in the 3rd quarter, the Buccaneers will kickoff to the Vikings. Rookie Taylor Heinicke is not in at QB for the Vikings.
9:14Blair Walsh strikes again and the Vikings lead moves to 26-9.
This latest FG was good from 42 yards. Walsh's first make of the game was from 46. Walsh missed from 48 last week, so it's good to see Walsh back on track tonight.
The Vikings had the ball again with 10:20 to go in the 3rd quarter but then lost a fumble. Tampa Bay took over on the Minnesota 31.
9:05 - View highlights from the first half here:
8:38 –Vikings lead 23-9 at halftime.
Touchdowns from Zach Line, Cordarrelle Patterson and Adam Thielen plus a 46-yard FG from Blair Walsh led to the 23 points, while the Vikings defense continued to look good and force quick punts. Tampa Bay did find the end zone, though, when rookie QB Jameis Winston rushed for a score, which ended a streak of over 9 preseason quarters in which the Vikings hadn't allowed a TD.
Also, the Vikings looked to be in line to score one last time in the 2nd quarter before Line lost a fumble that was recovered on the Tampa Bay 36. The Buccaneers were unable to maneuver into scoring range before the clock struck 00:00.
8:25 - Per @RapSheet, Loadholt tore his Achilles, likely ending his season.
8:15 –Shaun Hill has already thrown 2 TDs.
The first was to Cordarrelle Patterson and the second was to Adam Thielen. Blair Walsh's PAT gave the Vikings a 23-3 lead late in the 2nd quarter.
8:08 - Hey, highlights!
7:55 –Another Antone Exum turnover leads to another Vikings score.
The second-year safety, who had a fumble recovery last week in Canton, stepped in front of a Jameis Winston pass and intercepted it, setting the Vikings up deep inside Buccaneers territory. Moments later, backup QB Shaun Hill found a wide open Cordarrelle Patterson in the corner of the end zone and his perfectly-lofted pass was hauled in by Patterson for the score.
Blair Walsh tacked on the PAT to make it 16-3 Vikings.
7:52 –Teddy Bridgewater's night is done, and it was another solid showing for the second-year passer. He finished going 7 of 8 for 86 yards and he led the Vikings to 9 points.
Tonight's performance follows last week's showing where he was 5 of 6 for 44 yards. Put the two performances together and you have a 2-game box score of 12 of 14 for 130 yards with no TDs or INTs for a passer rating of 105.4.
Well done, Teddy.
7:41 PM - Teddy Bridgewater got off to a hot start on Saturday, including hitting Jarius Wright for a 26-yard gain.
7:38 –Line crosses the goal line.
Teddy Bridgewater led another impressive Vikings scoring drive, using a 24-yard completion to Jarius Wright to get inside the Tampa Bay 5 before handing it to FB Zach Line a couple plays later for a TD plunge. The Vikings attempted a 2-point conversion after the TD but failed.
The Vikings are leading 9-0 with 4:02 to play in the 2nd quarter.
7:20 PM - The Vikings kicked a field goal early to take a 3-0 lead but lost Phil Loadholt to a potentially bad lower leg injury. He won't return to the game tonight and Vikings Entertainment Network analyst Ben Leber said on TV / radio "He knows it's something not good." Rookie T.J. Clemmings replaced Loadholt at right rackle.
View a gallery of behind the scenes pregame images here:
View pregame behind the scenes images prior to Saturday's game against the Buccaneers.
6:49 PM – Here are a few things to watch for tonight…
Go Deep –QB Teddy Bridgewater was efficient in last week's preseason debut, going 5 of 6 for 44 yards. His longest completion on the night was 13 yards. It was a good showing and something upon which to build, but it would be great to see Bridgewater connect on a deep pass with one of his speedy receivers, perhaps new addition Mike Wallace.
More Time for the Starters –Most Vikings starters exited after the first series last week. Given that the Vikings have 5 preseason games, that was an understandable strategy for head coach Mike Zimmer. Those same starters may see more time this week, though, as they build up for the start of the regular season a month from now.
More Munnerlyn –Zimmer mentioned this past week that the intention was for Captain Munnerlyn to play more than he did last week. This week, it wouldn't be surprising to see more of #24 on the field. It will be interesting to see not just where Munnerlyn plays (inside or outside?) but with whom he plays.
Can They Do It Again? –LBs Audie Cole, Gerald Hodges, Brian Peters and Brandon Watts all played well in the preseason debut last week. Can those youngsters make it two games in a row? A lot of analysts questioned the Vikings depth at LB, but if the aforementioned players continue to impress, those concerns will be put to rest. Also, rookies MyCole Pruitt (TD) and Stefon Diggs (62-yard punt return) impressed last week and will be playing in front of the home crowd for the first time. Can they do it again?
Blair Booming It –K Blair Walsh missed from 48 yards last week. That length is no chip shot, but for a guy who began his career 12 of 12 from 50+, it just doesn't feel right to see Walsh miss from any distance. Expect a big bounce back performance from Walsh tonight.
6:47 PM - About 20 minutes away from kickoff at TCF.
6:01 PM - The following players won't dress tonight for the Vikings:
21 Josh Robinson
66 David Yankey
81 Brandon Bostick
90 B.J. DuBose
95 Scott Crichton
4:55 PM - Minnesota hockey icon Phil Housley, who will go into the Hockey Hall of Fame this fall, will sound the Gjallarhorn priot to tonight's game.
4:29 PM - The lockers are ready.
3:51 PM - Another look at the field, this time at the new Vikings-themed numbers.
3:15 PM - The field is ready to roll for tonight.
2:10 PM - We're setup and live at TCF Bank Stadium in advance of tonight's preseason home opener against the 2015 1st overall pick Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you missed the giant banner above, you can watch tonight game live online (or on-demand after) via NFL Game Pass. Click here to order.
To get you ready for kickoff, watch all four segments of this week's "Vikings GamePlan" via the embeds below, and stay tuned to this article for more updates leading up to kickoff and beyond.
