Vikings defense stands tall against Lamar Jackson, Ravens in first day of joint practice
Day one of the joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens is in the books. The day ended well for the Vikings' offense.
Kyler Murray connected on a deep ball to Justin Jefferson for a touchdown. Then J.J. McCarthy hit Myles Price for a touchdown as well. Both came on the two-minute drill.
As for the defense, they handled the Ravens offense, including former MVP Lamar Jackson, effectively.
"I think going against a great guy like him, it was able to teach great eyes, great technique and filling gaps and things like that," said veteran cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. "We just went in there with a great mindset."
"Going out there, not letting Lamar Jackson, not letting Derek Henry, not letting Rashad Bateman, any of those guys affect how we play, how we execute on the field, that plays a part. And it's shown out there today," said rookie cornerback Charles Demmings after participating in his first NFL joint practice.
The Ravens' pass game got very little going in the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 portions of practice. Reasons for that include a lot of Vikings blitzes and two great plays by safety Jay Ward, a would-be interception ruled a sack and a sack on a blitz. Ward's stock is rising in camp.
"I'm definitely confident," Ward said. "I know what I'm doing, know my assignment, communicating more, feeling more comfortable with who I'm playing with."
Late August plus joint practices equals some intense moments. Vikings rookie cornerback Da'Veawn Armstead had a punch thrown at him by the Ravens' Keyon Martin after the two got tangled up in one-on-one drills.
"You know, we all competitors," said cornerback Byron Murphy. "It's going to happen here and there, just got to go to the next play and keep working. Obviously, we have to come back tomorrow and do the same thing, so we can't carry it over."
