Unsung Vikings Defender Has Totally Shined
Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner — those three specimens were supposed to headline the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 pass-rushing festivities.
Unsung Vikings Defender Has Totally Shined
And while those men are absolutely doing their part with few letdowns, another unsung defender has emerged. He’s Patrick Jones II, and he ranks second in the NFL in sacks through two games.
Jones II played like a tyrant in Sunday’s win over the mighty San Francisco 49ers, chipping off two sacks and two tackles for loss and a mind-bogglingly productive 88.2 Pro Football Focus grade.
Two states over, Detroit Lions EDGE rusher Aidan Hutchinson logged 4.5 sacks — yes, you read that right — in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and if not for that performance, Jones II would lead the business in sacks, if that can be believed.
Janik Eckardt of PurplePTSD, a sister site to VikingsTerritory, wrote about Jones II’s Week 2 production on Sunday: “The 2021 third-rounder has helped Brian Flores build a solid four-man rotation on the edges together with Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Dallas Turner. He even won some reps against future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. Jones is in the final season of his rookie contract, and continued high-level play would make him some money.”
Not long ago, some wondered if Jones II would even make the 53-man roster in 2024. The Vikings had onboarded the aforementioned Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner, plus Jihad Ward and undrafted free agent Bo Richter, perhaps nominating Jones II as a roster cut candidate or practice squad demotion.
Those theories, mentioned by this website, too, were wildly inaccurate.
The University of Pittsburgh alumnus played 99 defensive snaps as a rookie in 2021, equating to about 8% of all defensive snaps. His 43.0 grade from PFF was underwhelming, but the sample size was small.
Jones II logged seven tackles in 2021 — and that was about it. He was then plagued by inconsistency, logging a 62.5 PFF mark in 2022 and a 37.5 last year.
Fast forward to his fourth campaign, and Jones II stands at a 66.6 PFF grade through two games, a mark of the beast fitting for his quarterback terrorism against the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
Now, Jones II must parlay the two-game majesty in a string of standout performances in the next several weeks. Thankfully for his sake, Brian Flores’ exotic defense enables Jones II to thrive, and he might just be here to stay.
The Vikings host the Houston Texans on Sunday and are early 1.5-point underdogs.
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.
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