Jaren Hall leads Vikings past Eagles in preseason finale

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Minnesota’s Jaren Hall threw for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against Philadelphia's reserves, and the Vikings beat the Eagles 26-3 on Saturday in the preseason finale for both teams.

Hall completed 15 of 21 passes, highlighted by touchdowns of 8 yards to Trishton Jackson and 4 yards to Justin Hall. A fifth-round pick in 2023, Hall is slated to be the Vikings’ No. 3 quarterback, behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.

Minnesota finished 3-0 in the preseason but suffered a big loss when rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore the meniscus in his right knee against the Raiders on Aug. 10. He is out for the season.

Neither team played its starting quarterback. Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts didn’t get a single snap in the preseason for the second straight year. The Vikings kept Darnold out of action. Darnold was expected to be pushed for playing time by first-round pick McCarthy until the former Michigan quarterback got hurt.

Hurts’ absence from the exhibition games has been a topic of debate in Philadelphia, especially with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling plays. The Eagles replaced both coordinators after last season's late collapse.

Kenny Pickett, the Eagles’ No. 2 quarterback, completed 6 of 9 passes for 58 yards while playing the first half. No. 3 QB Tanner McKee didn't lead Philadelphia on any scoring drives while playing into the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia is trying to pick up the pieces after losing five of its final six games in 2023 and then getting blown out 32-9 in the wild-card round of the playoffs by Tampa Bay. With Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith at receiver and newly acquired running back Saquon Barkley, the Eagles appear to have the pieces on offense to make another Super Bowl run after losing to the Chiefs in the championship game following the 2022 season.

Brown, Smith and Barkley were in street clothes with the rest of the starters on a beautiful, 82-degree day. Also not playing was Jahan Dotson, the wide receiver whom the Eagles acquired in a trade with Washington on Thursday. Dotson is a former first-round pick who has 1,041 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons.

New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has the experience and a bolstered secondary to improve Philadelphia’s defense, which allowed 425 passes to be completed last season. Only the Vikings (426) gave up more in 2023. However, Fangio's second- and third-stringers were not able to stop the Vikings on Saturday.

Fangio got a long look at cornerback Cooper DeJean, a rookie second-round pick who played well into the second half after missing much of training camp and the previous two preseason games with a hamstring injury. DeJean was flagged for illegal contact early in the first quarter that negated a Philadelphia interception. He also showed flashes of promise, defending a potential touchdown pass and breaking through the line for a strong tackle.

INJURIES

Eagles: WR Jacob Harris sustained a concussion while making a tackle on the opening kickoff and did not return.

UP NEXT

Vikings: Open the season at the New York Giants on Sept. 8.

Eagles: Play the Green Bay Packers in Brazil on Sept. 6.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl