Minnesota Vikings Week 1 Snap Counts: Aaron Jones vs. Jordan Mason, secondary has shocking splits, DL rotation in a good place

Some really interesting data points when it comes to snap counts

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) reacts after a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field.
Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings had quite the up-and-down Six Flags roller coaster game, but they came out on the other side with a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears. It was a massive deal to get the win, especially for quarterback JJ. McCarthy in his debut.

So much of the intrigue of this team was going to be how different they would be. There are 26 new players from last season’s roster, and the biggest additions were set to make the biggest impact. How would they do that? The biggest aspect of making an impact is getting onto the field. The snap counts from Monday night’s game show a lot of what we can expect to see this season, especially with Brian Flores’ defense.

Minnesota Vikings snap counts

Defensive tackle rotation

Last season, the Vikings had just 4.0 of their 49 sacks come from defensive tackles. That was a major problem, and one they addressed aggressively this offseason with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. They also outsnapped the entire room.

  • Allen: 52/67 snaps
  • Hargrave: 45/67
  • Jalen Redmond: 32/67
  • Levin Drake Rodriguez: 20/67
  • Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins: 10/67

This does factor in when they use multiple edge rushers, as Dallas Turner got onto the field for 29 snaps. Seeing the defensive tackles thrive like this was exactly what the Vikings had in mind when they spent a lot of money this offseason to achieve.

Running back split

Over the course of the first three years of Kevin O’Connell’s tenure, he hasn’t necessarily done an even running back split, but rather splitting them up by series. Things might finally be different this year with the emergence of Jordan Mason, as he (30) outsnapped Aaron Jones (28).

It was evident that Mason was the better runner last night, averaging over five yards per carry before the final drive when the box was stacked up. However, Jones proved that he is still dynamite in the passing game, and the duo looks like the missing piece to the offense.

Jeff Okudah doesn’t play much

We knew that Okudah was going to be the CB3, and it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He was an NFL Draft bust as the third overall pick, and has been far from consistent throughout his career. The one thing that the Vikings thought they could get out of him is the ability to run with receivers, which is the one thing that neither Shaquill Griffin and Stephon Gilmore could do last year.

In week one, Okudah played just 16 defensive snaps (24%), while the safeties got a long run. Theo Jackson and Josh Metellus played all 67 snaps, and Jay Ward played 25 with Harrison Smith out. Will this continue moving forward, even when Smith does play? It also doesn’t help that Okudah is now being evaluated for a concussion after the final play of the game.

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