To many, the Vikings' final preseason game Thursday night in Nashville 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 against the Tennessee Titans. Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian likely will 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 game is anything but trivial.
"To them, it is the Super Bowl," special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said. "They have to go out and play hard. They have to play to the best of their ability and prepare themselves for Week 1. They could be somewhere else or not in the NFL at all. They have to go out and play hard. I am going to put the onus on them that they have to play fast and physical, cut it loose and go have some fun."
The members of Priefer's units might have the most at stake. The Vikings often use special teams as a key criterion in final decisions between players on the fringes of the roster, and they will be looking to end the preseason on a better note after allowing a punt return TD in the first preseason game, a long punt return in the second and another return TD that was called back because of a penalty in the third.
Priefer said one of his strengths as a special teams coordinator has been devising drills to fix problems in practice, and the Vikings will look to shore up some of their issues with players for whom special teams might be the ticket to a roster spot.
"The young guys have done better in the past in the preseason," Priefer said. "I'm sure I have to do a better job coaching. Absolutely that is part of it. Our guys have to step up and play better. I think it's a combination of the two things."
It won't just be on special teams where players can make a final impression Thursday night.