Vikings coach Mike Zimmer put it pretty bluntly after the first half of the Minnesota Vikings preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals last Friday. When asked about his team’s performance on defense at the end of the second quarter, Zimmer just plainly stated, “we were pretty awful.”

Minnesota’s defense allowed 116 total yards to the Bengals’ offense in the first quarter, including a 22-play, 89-yard drive that took more than 12 minutes off of the game clock. The Vikings did stop Cincinnati from scoring on that drive, but Minnesota should have prevented that opportunity from ever happening in the first place.

It will not get any easier this Thursday when the Vikings head to Seattle to play the Seahawks in their second preseason game of 2016. What Minnesota players need to have a solid performance on defense to solidify their spot on the team’s regular season roster?

Emmanuel Lamur, LB

The team’s leading tackler against the Bengals, Lamur will look to have another solid game in Seattle. Another good performance and he will be putting the pressure on the Vikings’ coaching staff to consider making a change to who will the begin the season as the team’s starting weak-side linebacker.

Chad Greenway currently owns that spot on the team’s depth chart, but Lamur still has plenty of time before the regular season to change his coaches’ minds.

Jayron Kearse, S

In his first game wearing a Minnesota uniform last Friday, Kearse did his best to make viewers forget that this is his rookie season. He did well in limiting his mistakes and finished the game with an interception.

He even received some rare praise from Zimmer after the game.

It will be interesting to see if the Vikings decide to give Kearse any opportunities to play with the team’s second team defense on Thursday.

Kentrell Brothers, LB

Due to the injuries of a few other players, Brothers saw the most snaps of any Minnesota player on defense in Cincinnati. He played well finishing with three total tackles and one hit on the quarterback.

His primary role in 2016 will likely be on special teams, but it is nice to see that he is also getting plenty of defensive action on the field this preseason.

If linebacker Eric Kendricks sits out again for the Vikings on Thursday (he still has not practiced this week), expect another heavy workload for Brothers against the Seahawks.

Terence Newman, CB

While his teammates pulled out the victory against the Bengals last Friday, Newman watched the game from Minnesota as he rehabbed an injury.

In his absence, cornerback Trae Waynes got the start and filled in rather nicely against the Bengals. Waynes and Newman are battling this summer to be one of the Vikings’ two starting cornerbacks when the team opens the regular season.

If Newman wants to keep his spot in the starting lineup, he cannot afford to miss much more time before Minnesota’s opening game in Tennessee.