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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

3 Observations: Keenum Leads Vikings 2-Minute Drill

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Vikings wrapped up practice for the week by hitting the fields at Winter Park for approximately 90 minutes on Friday.

Minnesota had a somewhat light practice in helmets, shells and shorts.

The Vikings split their first two preseason games, both on the road, but will square off against San Francisco at U.S. Bank Stadium at 7 p.m. (CT) on NBC's Sunday Night Football.

Here are three observations from Friday's session:

1. Keenum takes the reins

There's a good bet Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford plays the majority of Sunday's game against the 49ers.

But backup quarterback Case Keenum had the chance to show his stuff Friday as he was in charge of the offense during a 2-minute drill at the end of practice.

Keenum and the offense took over at their own 28-yard line with 1:25 to go.

The quarterback moved the chains with passes to running back Latavius Murray and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. Keenum then picked up another first down with a 15-yard strike to wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Keenum's final completion was a 16-yarder to tight end Kyle Carter to the opponent's 34-yard line as the offense raced to spike the ball with one second left.

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer opted to end the drill after the spike instead of kicking a 52-yard field goal.

2. Pinning them deep

The Vikings stress small details and fundamentals under Zimmer, and Friday was no exception.

Minnesota spent a portion of practice working on special teams as a collection of gunners raced down to try and down the ball inside the 10-yard line. There was no actual punting.  The footballs instead were launched from a JUGS machine near midfield.

Vikings safety Jayron Kearse and cornerback Jabari Price each caught the ball on the fly at the 5-yard line, while cornerback Tre Roberson would have pinned an opponent at the 6-yard line. 

Kearse took the final rep and had a chance to snag the ball at the 1-yard line, but it bounced off his fingertips and rolled into the end zone for a touchback.

3. Extra attention

The Vikings will be in the national spotlight Sunday as their game against San Francisco will be broadcast across the country.

With the game on NBC's Sunday Night Football, there were extra eyes on practice as color analyst Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Michele Tafoya each took in Friday's practice.

Collinsworth briefly chatted with Zimmer during practice, and Tafoya interviewed Vikings wide receivers Adam Thielen and Treadwell after the session.

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