On his first possession as a Viking, Sam Howell moved the offense into field-goal range.
On his second possession as a Viking, Howell started on his own 6. Then, 14 plays later, he crashed in from the 1 for a touchdown.
Those were his only possessions Saturday, but they were revealing. He was accurate. He was decisive. He reunited with college teammate Ty Chandler to help the offense hum.
“Obviously the quarterback can give a little bit better perspective for the whole defense than we do up front, if we’re sliding one way with the pass protection, and he can recognize that a pressure is coming off the back side,” said center Michael Jurgens, who played against Howell and North Carolina while at Wake Forest. “We’d rather have one of us big fat guys taking him rather than the running back. He does a great job of confidently telling us to get it going the other way and pick up the blitz.”
Howell was 11-of-13 for 105 yards during his first-half appearance. This was not the Howell who has been throwing picks and struggling with the rhythm and timing required by Kevin O’Connell’s offense during practices. This was not the Howell who had seen Brett Rypien get some snaps with the No. 2 offense lately.
Rypien, by the way, was the only quarterback not to splash on Saturday. [J.J. McCarthy looked comfortable in his one series](https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-houston-texas-jj-mccarthy-preseason/601448718). Former Gophers QB Max Brosmer fired up the crowd while going 5-for-8. When he found undrafted free agent Myles Price in the back of the end zone for a fourth-quarter touchdown, I expected the Minnesota Rouser to be played over the U.S. Bank Stadium sound system.
Howell needed Saturday’s performance to remind viewers why the Vikings believe he can capably back up McCarthy. Because practice reports have suggested otherwise.