After playing most of his starters last weekend, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was much more cautious on Saturday afternoon when the Vikings played the Browns in a preseason game in Cleveland.

On offense, the only presumed starters who played were receiver Jalen Nailor and right guard Ed Ingram. On defense, the only presumed starters who played were edge rusher Dallas Turner and cornerback Akayleb Evans. Not surprising considering the Vikings and the Browns already got some good work in this week during two joint practices.

There were a number of standouts as the Vikings earned a 27-12 win.

Here are five takeaways from the preseason game:

Mullens does his job

There was no way O’Connell was going to let veteran quarterback Sam Darnold play against the Browns. Not after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. As a result, veteran quarterback Nick Mullens got the nod and played the whole first half, then handed the ball over to second-year quarterback Jaren Hall. Mullens completed 11 for 21 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. He spent most of the time running for his life as the offensive line struggled in pass protection. Though it wasn’t an inspiring performance, Mullens did his job, which is a good sign now that he’s the unquestioned backup.

Jackson shines once again

You’d be hard pressed to find somebody who’s had a better training camp than receiver Trishton Jackson. He had a long touchdown reception against the Raiders and followed it up with a solid effort during joint practices against the Browns. It was only right that Jackson continued to shine against the Browns, recording three receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown. After presumably being on the roster bubble heading into training camp, Jackson seems to have done enough to make the team.

Reichard was perfect

Everything that rookie kicker Will Reichard does looks effortless. He’s been the personification of consistency throughout training camp, nailing field-goal attempt after field-goal attempt regardless of the situation. That continued against the Browns as he nailed a 41-yard field goal and a 38-yard field goal while also making all of his extra-point attempts. The only kick of any sort that Reichard has missed in the exhibition slate came against the Raiders, and it had nothing to do with his operation. That attempt was blocked after the entire left side of the offensive line crumbled into the turf in unison.

Nwangwu has some juice

Though he’s still behind veteran running back Aaron Jones and young running back Ty Chandler on the depth chart, speedy Kene Nwangwu is trying to carve out a niche for himself. He had an explosive 48-yard touchdown run against the Raiders, and while he didn’t find the end zone against the Browns, he had some impressive runs and finished with seven carries for 45 yards. Never mind that most of Nwangwu’s impact is likely to come on kickoff returns. He’s shown he has some juice, and he might earn more playing time because of it.

McGlothern records an interception

There have been glimpses from rookie cornerback Dwight McGlothern throughout training camp. That said, McGlothern made his biggest splash yet against the Browns. After sitting in coverage near the goal line, McGlothern located an errant pass and hauled in an interception. He wasn’t done. As soon as he secured the ball, McGlothern popped to his feet, then raced down the sideline with open field in sight. He ran out of gas short of the end zone after running more than 90 yards. That play could go a long way toward McGlothern making the team in a couple of weeks.

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