Kyle Sloter took critical comments from coach Mike Zimmer in stride this week, downplaying the situation as a whole, while vowing to let his play do the talking during Saturday’s exhibition game against the Arizona Cardinals.
“I don’t really necessarily have a reaction,” Sloter said. “I’m just going to react by playing well.”
And once again Sloter did just that, entering the game in the final frame, and completing 6 of 7 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown to lead the Vikings to a comeback victory over the Cardinals.
It was the latest installment of stellar play from Sloter as he continues to emerge as a cult hero of sorts around the Twin Cities for how he has dominated preseason games throughout his career.
While he still hasn’t taken a snap in an official game, Sloter has turned heads every time he’s stepped foot on the field. He is 23 for 27 for 280 yards and three touchdowns this preseason.
“Every time he’s come in a game he does well,” Zimmer said. “He makes plays and gets the team going. I think he’s done a good job in the preseason.”
His performance against the Cardinals was impressive in the sense that the offense struggled for most of the game, especially Kirk Cousins, who was a miserable 3 for 13 for a mere 35 yards before getting pulled at halftime.
“It was great to see in the second half our offense come to life, and get us in the game, and win the game,” Cousins said. “That was encouraging to see, and I’m happy for those guys. I’m going to have a lot to look back on and correct.”
Even though Sean Mannion got the initial reps after Cousins took a seat, and played well, finishing 6 for 9 for 57 yards, he couldn’t get the Vikings into the end zone.
It wasn’t until Sloter was under center that everything started to click. He entered the game for the first time with 11:03 to play and promptly marched the Vikings down the field, zipping passes to wide receiver Bisi Johnson and tight end Tyler Conklin, before running back Mike Boone bulldozed his way into the end zone for a score.
If that wasn’t enough, on the next possession Sloter led a more methodical 14-play drive, converting on fourth down twice, and ultimately finding fullback Khari Blasingame for a touchdown to put the game on ice.
While there’s certainly an argument to be made that Sloter looks so good because he’s usually playing against a bunch of third-stringers, it’s hard to argue the fact that the Vikings consistently move the ball when he’s at the helm.
That said, Sloter still has some work to do to supplant Mannion for the backup spot, especially considering how Zimmer has talked about both players to this point.
Not that Sloter has any problem with that.
“I’m not here to argue with him,” Sloter said. “His word is the final word, so whatever he says, he’s the one I’ve got to win over to get whatever job I get in the future.”
