The Vikings handled the Buccaneers last night, building a 9-0 lead with their starters then cruising to a 26-16 preseason victory. The story of the night, though, was the major injury to starting right tackle Phil Loadholt.

When Loadholt went down on the third play of the game, it left us in the press box scrambling to determine the severity of the injury while also forcing us to scrap our game stories. But I was able to keep one eye on the rest of the game and I re-watched some fuzzy portions a little bit ago.

Here are five of my takeaways from the Vikings' second preseason game, starting with the 6-foot-8, 345-pound void left at the right tackle spot.

1. The loss of Loadholt for the season is a tough one, but at least it happened now. On an individual level, you can't help but feel for a guy like Loadholt when he is carted off to the locker room with a towel over his head to hide his emotions. Loadholt is beloved in the locker room. One could tell by how linemen such as Matt Kalil, John Sullivan and Brandon Fusco ached along with him, especially since he had just worked his way back from a torn pectoral. On the team level, losing a projected starter at a key spot stings, but that it happened so early in the preseason means the Vikings have about a month to solidify a new plan before Week 1. Rookie T.J. Clemmings did a decent job last night, so the Vikings plan to give the fourth-round pick the first crack at replacing Loadholt. They want to take more time to further evaluate their internal options before considering going outside.

2. Antone Exum deserves a longer look with the first-team defense. Two games, two takeaways for the second-year safety. His fumble recovery against the Steelers and his interception of Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston were examples of Exum simply being at the right place at the right time, but there's something to be said for that. Meanwhile, the man starting ahead of Exum right now, Robert Blanton, was not where he was supposed to be on Winston's biggest play of the game, his 40-yard completion to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. I'm not saying all this means Exum should be moved ahead of Blanton on the depth chart. I just think Exum has shown enough the past two weeks to get more work with the ones.

3. Eric Kendricks is going to be fun to watch once he secures a starting spot, whenever that is. The second-round pick was all over the place in the second half, and I mean that in a good way. Any time Kendricks was given a clear path to the ball, he seemed to make a play. He burst into the backfield in the third quarter for a shoestring tackle of running back Mike James. Later in that same drive, he dropped into zone coverage and batted down a pass intended for rookie receiver Kenny Bell. He was unblocked on an A-gap blitz during his sack of third-string QB Seth Lobato, but boy, did he get there in a flash. Coach Mike Zimmer later noted that the excitable young middle linebacker was more under control last night than he was against the Steelers. Audie Cole should be hearing footsteps.

4. Cordarrelle Patterson took a step forward then hopped right back. It didn't take long for the third-year wideout to make his presence felt last night. Early in the second quarter, he blew by cornerback Mike Jenkins on a go route for a 21-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Shaun Hill (who, by the way, was sharp last night). And then it didn't take long for Patterson to get back to irritating the coaching staff. After catching a pass on the next drive and being tackled along the sideline, he got up and smashed facemasks with linebacker Kwon Alexander. Patterson got popped with a 15-yard personal foul penalty that short-circuited the drive. "Those are more learning experiences," Zimmer said with a scowl after the game.

5. Jarius Wright brings a big-play dimension to the slot receiver role that Greg Jennings couldn't provide last year. That's not meant to be a knock on Jennings. I'm just noting that they have different skill sets. Wright has the kind of wheels that Jennings might not have had even in his prime. On the opening drive, Wright ran a crossing route from right to left and got across the field quickly enough for Teddy Bridgewater, who was efficient once again last night, to hit him in open space. The result was a 26-yard gain. Two drives later, Wright wrestled free of a jam and slipped into a soft spot in zone coverage for a 24-yard gain that set up fullback Zach Line's touchdown plunge. Wright probably won't end up catching as many passes as fellow wide receivers Mike Wallace or Charles Johnson or even tight end Kyle Rudolph this season, but count on him contributing some more big plays.