Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. (0) reflects before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.
Some folks saw the clip and said, “Why would you even say that?”
But then the Minnesota Vikings chipped off the New York Giants 28-6 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. proved to be prophetic — not merely cocky.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson asked Pace Jr. about the Giants-Vikings matchup leading into Week 1, and Pace Jr. replied, “We’re about to go crazy. It ain’t even going to be no matchup. We’re about to go crazy on them. It’s going to be cool.”
Pace Jr. said so with a smirk but in the most serious of ways. Put simply, he knew Minnesota would swarm Daniel Jones and Co., and that’s what they did.
Wolfson gave the young linebacker a chance to backtrack a bit in the same interview, but Pace Jr. stuck to his steadfastness, “They look good, they look good. But I know our defense. I know what we got in this locker room. So we’re going to be good,” he replied.
New York generated little meaningful offense, only getting off the ground because of a first-drive C.J. Ham fumble. Thereafter, the Vikings defense, led by coordinator Brian Flores in his second season, utterly dominated a hapless Giants group. New York tallied just 240 yards on offense — a measly 3.5 yards per play — while Jones often looked moronic and confused by Flores’ exotic scheme.
This wasn’t the first time, either, that Pace Jr. talked a big game and backed it up. Pace Jr. was supposed to be chosen anywhere from Round 3 to 5 in the 2023 NFL Draft, but NFL general managers were evidently turned off by his size. Pace Jr. is about two inches shorter than a normal off-ball linebacker. Expressing bewilderment about teams not signing on his dotted line until after the draft, Pace Jr. posted to Instagram a picture of himself with the Vikings logo and a caption for the rest of the world, “Y’all done f-cked up.”
He later parlayed the infamous social media post into a fantastic rookie season, starting as an undrafted free agent and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that NFL execs got it wrong. The takeaway? When Pace Jr. says something bombastic — even profane or controversial — fans should listen and take it to heart, not bellyache about his tact. He speaks harshly and carries a big stick.
Of course, the road ahead for Pace Jr.’s Vikings isn’t easy. Minnesota will square off against the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets in the next four weeks — a murderer’s row. But the Week 1 triumph in New Jersey afforded the purple team some breathing room and hope that summer forecasts that classified the Vikings as one of the NFL’s weakest teams just might’ve been incorrect.
Pace Jr. banked six tackles and a QB hit on Sunday. He also slapped a guy.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.