Vikings starters still have no TDs

The Vikings' first-team offense has played four series and 31 plays over the first two preseason games. That has led to three drives that ended with Chris Kluwe punts and one that Ryan Longwell completed with a field goal.

But with the Vikings learning a new offense and 21 days until the regular-season opener at San Diego, how much stock should be put into the fact quarterback Donovan McNabb has yet to lead a touchdown drive?

"We just tried to improve from the first game with the opportunity that we've had," McNabb said Saturday following the Vikings' 20-7 victory at Seattle. "I think that was the biggest [thing] for all of us was try to improve off of the first game."

McNabb completed six of 11 passes for 40 yards and had a long completion of 12 yards as the Vikings opened the exhibition schedule with a 14-3 loss on Aug. 13 at Tennessee. On Saturday, he completed six of eight throws for 81 yards with a long of 23.

Coach Leslie Frazier and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave are certain to want to see McNabb and the offense take a step forward Saturday when the Vikings play their preseason home opener against Dallas. The stakes will be increased a bit, too, as the Vikings will game-plan for the Cowboys. They did not game-plan for the Titans or Seahawks.

"We'll actually structure practices now," Frazier said. "We'll be out of training-camp mode and structure it as if we were getting ready for a game during the season. We'll do some game-planning, not to the degree that we would if we were playing a regular-season game. We'll go through simulation of what a game week is like."

Frazier said Saturday night that he and his coaches would sit down on Sunday and discuss how much the starters would play against Dallas. The players were off Sunday and will return to work at Winter Park on Monday.

Frazier did say he liked what he saw from his top offense Saturday at CenturyLink Field, even if they didn't get in the end zone.

"[I] really was encouraged by the fact they were able to move the football as well as we were," he said. "This is not an easy place to play whether it be the preseason or regular season. We seemed to be composed and really seemed to have a handle on what we wanted to get accomplished. We went into this game and we wanted to be able to establish an identity up front with our offensive line, along with our defensive line. I really thought we got in a rhythm with our first unit, and that was encouraging."

It took awhile for them to find that rhythm. The Vikings' only offensive series of the first quarter lasted three plays. But McNabb returned in the second quarter to direct a 13-play, 81-yard drive that began at the Vikings 1 and stalled at the Seahawks 18. Longwell completed it with a 36-yard field goal.

"That was big for us," McNabb said of getting out of a backed-up situation. "Obviously it was tough field position to be in and being able to sustain a drive to get down in our red area and be able to have an opportunity to score. That was big for us. But again we have to be able to capitalize on that.

"... We came out with three, but still we want to be able to come out with seven. Obviously, in the tough division that we're in we've got to score points."

"For myself, obviously, being in a new offense and being around new guys, that was kind of something that I try to go into each practice and trying to get comfortable with one another," McNabb said. "Those guys get comfortable with me. Coming out here in game situation, we had opportunities, just didn't capitalize."