Minnesota Vikings got smoked on national television and the studs and duds highlight their struggles
It was not good for the Vikings on Sunday might.
The Minnesota Vikings went into their home debut against the Atlanta Falcons with some hope to get to 2-0. Unfortunately, the Vikings got their butts whipped in all three phases of the game and lost 22-6. The defense allowed over 200 yards rushing, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy couldn’t get things going in any way.
Not all hope is lost for the Vikings, but they have a lot of work to do, and it’s evident in many ways. This week’s studs and duds are more negative than positive, but we did get some strong individual performances.
Vikings vs. Falcons studs and duds
Stud: EDGE Dallas Turner
With Andrew Van Ginkel out for the game, it was going to be on Dallas Turner to step up in his absence. All offseason, the Vikings were adamant that they had three starters at edge rusher.
“The best thing you can do, and I think Dallas did this, is just soak up that information, and the two guys he had there, I mean, they’re very different,” said defensive coordinator Brian Flores about Turner this summer. “So, the skills that JG has, the energy that JG brings, the skills that Ginkel have, has the energy that he brings. You know, the different ways that contribute to the team. Dallas is coming into his own. As far as you know, how he’s been contributing. It can be in a variety of ways, as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages. So you know, we’re excited about his versatility, but also his growth.”
We got to see that on Sunday night. Turner has the physique of a three down edge rusher, and the added strength is showing up in a major way. He is holding up at the point of attack consistently, which is a huge development. Turner also got his first sack of the year when facing Jake Matthews. He’s playing well overall, and that’s a positive development.
Dud: LT Justin Skule
We talked about it last week with Skule’s brutal performance against the Chicago Bears. He was a major liability over the course of the game, and there were major questions about whether or not he was going to be one moving forward until Christian Darrisaw comes back.
Well, it didn’t take long for it to manifest poorly, as the Vikings allowed a whopping five sacks in the first half. Skule looked overmatched by pretty much everyone that lined up across from him, and his run blocking was poor as well. He did leave the game in the third quarter with an injury and was replaced by Walter Rouse, but it should have happened before the game started.
Stud: DT Jalen Redmond
Last week against the Bears, Redmond was really good in playing the run. He was holding his own against blockers along with getting penetration consistently. A find of the Vikings from the UFL’s Arlington Renegades, he was signed as the 90th man on the roster and was so good that he made the team.
Well, Redmond has been so good early on in 2025 that he’s proven to everyone that they could afford to trade Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets right before the season started. It surprised everyone, but Redmond has been that good. He got a sack on Michael Penix Jr. and had a couple of nice stops in the run game. The Vikings have an emerging star at defensive tackle.
Dud: ILB Ivan Pace Jr.
With Blake Cashman having been placed on injured reserve, Pace was going to be the top guy on the second level. We got to see that last season for three weeks, and it did not go very well. At the end of the day, we saw some of the same issues that resonated last season.
Pace was consistently missing gaps in the run game and not tackling well at all. It helped that Eric Wilson was doing a good job next to him, including a forced fumble. Pace is a good player, but he’s a complementary piece, not a leading man like Cashman is.
Stud: Pass defense
Going into the game, the Vikings’ pass defense was going to come under focus with Penix running a pass happy offense. With the size they have in London and Kyle Pitts, it presented a tough issue for the Vikings with their cornerbacks somewhat smaller in stature.
Overall, the coverage for the Vikings was excellent. They didn’t allow Penix to attack the ball vertically at all, and mitigated the short passing game. The Falcons were very successful in running the football, but preventing Penix from doing what he does best kept the Vikings in the game.
Dud: Rush defense
We mentioned the trade of Phillips earlier, and Redmond has done a very good job of filling in for him. However, the rest of the unit struggled over the course of the game. This team was severely missing Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel.
The Vikings were allowing both Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to break runs both between the tackles and breaking them outside. Pace was missing tackles and picking the wrong gaps, the tackling was poor across the board, and the runs were a great foil to the quick penetrating pressure the Vikings brought. It was a rough night, but there are some bright spots there.
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