Jaguars, Vikings to take part in joint practices

The Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars announced Thursday that the teams will hold joint practices at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center in August before meeting in a preseason game.

The Vikings and Jaguars were oh-so-close to reaching the Super Bowl last season, having fallen short in their respective conference championships.

The two teams look to make the next step in their journeys down the road with an early one together on Aug. 15-16 in Eagan, Minn. The clubs will then meet for a preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Aug. 18.

"Having the opportunity to practice with another conference finalist during training camp will allow us to compete with great players and coaches and continue to push ourselves," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said in a statement. "We believe that these joint sessions will provide us with an opportunity to improve as a football team, which is always the goal for training camp."