To many, the preseason game the Vikings will play in Nashville on Thursday night might seem like the most inconsequential of their 20 scheduled contests this season.
Most of the Vikings' prominent starters, from quarterback Kirk Cousins on down the roster, figure to sit out the team's final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian is likely to start, before giving way to Kyle Sloter and Peter Pujals, while most of the Vikings' core players don baseball caps and watch from the sidelines.
To the players whose employment status with the team beyond Thursday remains uncertain, though, the matchup with the Titans is anything but trivial.