Isaiah Rodgers’ becomes the first player in NFL history to achieve feat in historic performance vs. Bengals

It’s the first time ever that a player has achieved this feat

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (2) runs back an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025.
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings had a dominant win over the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 48-10, and it was something that they desperately needed. The biggest factor was cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who had a historic day on Sunday with two touchdowns on defense, and he earned the first-ever 99.9 grade out of 100 in the history of Pro Football Focus

Isaiah Rodgers achieves first-ever 99.9 Pro Football Focus grade

It was a big win from start to finish for the Vikings, who were coming off a brutal 22-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They were going into the game without J.J. McCarthy and starting Carson Wentz, which brought a multitude of other problems for the team. They did get back Christian Darrisaw and Harrison Smith on the day, which ended up being massive on the day.

The return of Smith ended up resulting in the Vikings’ first defensive touchdown. Smith was watching quarterback Jake Browning’s eyes and got a hand on the football. That landed right in the lap of Rodgers, and he took it to the house. What ended up being really impressive was the block edge rusher Jonathan Greenard threw down the sidelines to spring him for the score.

It didn’t stop there. Rodgers in between his touchdowns, had a pass batted down in the end zone against Tee Higgins, which was a huge play for a guy who is 5-10 and 175 lbs. The Bengals kicked a field goal, and the Vikings held a 17-3 lead. In the next possession, Rodgers did the peanut punch on tight end Noah Fant and picked up the ball for a 66-yard touchdown.

On the very next drive, Rodgers punched the ball out on Ja’Marr Chase, and the Vikings turned that into another touchdown. At halftime, it was 34-3 for the Vikings, and Rodgers accounted for saving one touchdown, directly responsible for 2 touchdowns, and setting up a third score.

It was the performance of a lifetime, and Rodgers essentially did it in the first half.

“I think he [Brian Flores] saw sticky coverage,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell about why they signed Isaiah Rodgers. “I think he saw a guy that was growing from a standpoint of being able to project his fit with how we would use him, specifically when he’s that kind of field corner. And then we wanted to pair that with a big physical body like Jeff Okudah, who did a lot of good things today as well, and then that allows Murph to really be what we need to be incredibly impactful inside, outside, the flex of all that. It was a combination of a lot of things. I know that he’s been impactful wherever he’s ever been. It’s just the consistency of getting the opportunity, and what a performance today is just spectacular.”

The historic performance is one for the record books, and Rodgers was recognized in kind.

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