No AP, but starters will work into second half tonight - KMSP-TV

The so called experts site the third preseasongame as the most important. If that is the case, the Vikings opponent, the SanDiego Chargers are in trouble only found in DEFCON 5.

While the Vikings first offense has had opportunities to score points on every possession,the Chargers lost their top running back in week one, has their offensive linein shambles and will sit Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates tonight.

The Vikings on the other hand will try to follow up their improved game twoperformance tonight when they host the Chargers at Mall of America Field.

Points O' Plenty:
Sure, we'd love those 3's to be 6's on the scoreboard, but let's berealistic. Rookie kicker Blair Walsh needed to be tested at some point. The kidis five for six on field goals and continues to impress and prove that hisdraft ranking wasn't a stretch.

The first team offense continued to move the ball working into the secondquarter last Friday. This week, they'll take their games into the thirdquarter. We'll see how things work tonight.

Cuts Coming:
This will be the final preseason game with everyone in camp attending.Monday, the rosters must be trimmed to 75 players from 90 and Friday (August31), rosters will be at the 53 player limit.

Although there are several fluid positions, here is a shot at what theprojected roster might look like a week from today. We have 52 names and onespot to fill.


Depth Chart:
Offensive Line: 8
Starters
Matt Kalil
Charlie Johnson
John Sullivan
Brandon Fusco
Phil Loadholt

Reserves
Geoff Schwartz
Joe Berger
Chris DeGeare

Running Backs: 5
Starters
Jerome Felton
Adrian Peterson

Reserves
Ryan D'Imperio
Toby Gerhart
Lex Hilliard/ Jordan Todman

Tight Ends: 3
Starter
Kyle Rudolph

Reserves
John Carlson
Allen Reisner/Mickey Shuler/Rhett Ellison

Quarterbacks: 3
Starter
Christian Ponder

Reserves
Joe Webb
Sage Rosenfels

Wide Receivers: 5
Starters
Percy Harvin
Jerome Simpson

Reserves
Michael Jenkins
Stephen Burton
Jarius Wright
Emmanuel Arceneaux

Special Teams: 3
Blair Walsh- Kicker
Chris Kluwe- Punter
Cullen Loeffler- Long Snapper

Defensive Line: 8
Starters
Brian Robison
Kevin Williams
Letroy Guion
Jared Allen

Reserves
Fred Evans
Everson Griffen
Christian Ballard
D'Aundre Reed

Linebackers: 7
Starters
Chad Greenway
Jasper Brinkley
Erin Henderson

Reserves
Marvin Mitchell
Larry Dean
Tyrone McKenzie
Audie Cole

Defensive Backs: 10
Starters
Antoine Winfield
Chris Cook
Mistral Raymond
Harrison Smith

Reserves
Brandon Burton
Jamarca Sanford
Chris Carr
Marcus Sherels
Josh Robinson
Eric Frampton/Robert Blanton

Closing Number:
Yes we know it is preseason, but Christian Ponder has a QB rating of 111.2.He has led the first team offense on scoring drives in each of his five possessions.One drive led to a missed field goal. Ponder is also sporting a 63.6 percentcompletion percentage. Well above the low 50's he put up in his rookiecampaign.