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Access Vikings morning walkthrough: Heinicke makes his case in loss to the Titans, 'Blair is our kicker' and more

The Vikings are off after last night's loss, but it will probably be a busy day for the coaches as they ponder which 53 players to keep.

By Matt Vensel

September 4, 2015 at 1:42PM

Every weekday, we walk you through what's going on with the Vikings.

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

— The Vikings lost to the Titans in their preseason finale, but their greater concerns are picking a pair of starters and trimming down their roster.

— By throwing a pair of touchdown passes, quarterback Taylor Heinicke made a case for a roster spot, whether it is here or somewhere else.

— Blair Walsh missed another field goal, but after a rough preseason for Walsh, coach Mike Zimmer had his back, saying, "Blair is our kicker, OK?"

— Gerald Hodges is "pretty confident" that he will be a starting linebacker.

AROUND THE NFC NORTH

— Third-string quarterback Kellen Moore led the Lions to a win last night.

— Jared Abbrederis made his return to the field for the Packers, but it was another wide receiver who stole the show in last night's win over the Saints.

— Middle linebacker Mason Foster has made a case to start for the Bears.

TODAY'S VIKINGS SCHEDULE

The Vikings are off tomorrow after last night's loss, but it will probably be a busy day for the coaches as they ponder which 53 players to keep.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Teddy Bridgewater wasn't the only Vikings quarterback to complete a high percentage of his throws in the preseason. Backup Shaun Hill completed 73.5 percent of his preseason throws. Heinicke was a shade below 70 percent at 69.5. Even Mike Kafka, who was released by the team this week, completed 69.2 percent of his throws. Overall, the Vikings completed 73.2 percent of their passes. How ridiculous is that? Entering this summer, Rich Gannon had held the team record for preseason completion percentage at 71.7. Led by Bridgewater at 82.9 percent, the QB group as a whole topped that.