Vikings coach Mike Zimmer tends not to subscribe to the notion that the third exhibition game is a harbinger of how the season will go, and the Vikings’ penultimate preseason contest a year ago — a ragged showing for their starters, followed by a furious rally for a win against the 49ers — didn’t hold much predictive value for a 13-3 season.
As the team played closer to type on Friday night against the Seattle Seahawks, though, it wasn’t hard to imagine how both the strengths and weaknesses the Vikings showed could continue into the regular season.
Eventually, the Vikings won 21-20 late when Chad Beebe caught a touchdown pass with 47 seconds to go and Jake Wieneke converted the two-point conversion.