4 Vikings Have Been Nonexistent through 4 Weeks
The Minnesota Vikings have been on a roller coaster of emotions throughout the start of the 2025 season.
The year started with a comeback win on the road against the Chicago Bears, which was followed up by a total disaster against the Atlanta Falcons at home in Week 2. Then, the Vikings looked dominant against the Cincinnati Bengals before traveling to Dublin and looking lethargic against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, injuries have played a role in that disappointing 2-2 start to the year, but when those injuries happen, the Vikings cannot afford to also have players who are healthy not step up to the plate. So far, though, these four players have been virtually nonexistent for the team.
OLB Dallas Turner
Alarm bells are beginning to be raised regarding Dallas Turner. An argument could be made for a lack of production during his rookie season because he was playing behind a very talented duo of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
However, that argument is not there so far this season seeing as Van Ginkel has missed two games, and Turner has made three starts while playing 60% or more of the team’s defensive snaps in each of the past three weeks.
Even still, Turner has just six QB pressures, which doesn’t even crack the top 100 in the NFL through four weeks, and he has just one sack to his name. Especially if Van Ginkel isn’t able to return this weekend against a Browns team that features an elite defensive front, Turner will need to step up for Minnesota to match that talent.
WR Adam Thielen
Before the season began, the Vikings sent a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to bring Adam Thielen home. The Vikings also got a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick out of the deal.
The trade came in the wake of Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension and Rondale Moore’s season-ending knee injury in order to add more production to the receiver room.
However, to this point, that production has not been found in Thielen. It’s somewhat expected given that Thielen is now 35 years old, but it has been a very slow start for the veteran receiver.
Through four games, Thielen has caught just four passes for 37 yards without a touchdown reception for a player who was once one of the most elite red zone threats in the NFL.
Thankfully, Addison is now back from his suspension, so the lack of production from Thielen is now low on the totem pole of concerns with the Vikings offense, but Minnesota is one injury away from him needing to be a very prevalent piece of their offense.
S Harrison Smith
The days of Harrison Smith being an elite defender and a backbone of the Vikings defense may officially be over.
The 36-year-old safety not only hasn’t been nearly as productive as he was for much of his career, but now, he is not even seeing much playing time.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert laid it out, writing, “Harrison Smith has been a sub package player in each of his first two games back from a personal health issue. He recorded 17 snaps Sunday in Dublin after playing 22 in Week 3 vs. Bengals. That’s roughly 35% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps over the 2-week period.”
Of course, Smith did miss the first two weeks with what has been called a “personal health issue,” and it held him out of practice for much of August and Weeks 1 and 2. So perhaps it is possible that he is still getting his legs under him, which has prompted his limited usage in the defense.
CB Jeff Okudah
The Vikings took a chance by bringing in Jeff Okudah to their secondary. The cornerback displayed outstanding talent throughout his collegiate career at Ohio State, which prompted the Detroit Lions to select him with the third overall pick in 2020.
However, Okudah has not ever lived up to that draft status, and his career revival simply has not occurred so far in Minnesota. Of course, he did miss Week 2 because of a concussion, but in the three games he has played for the Vikings, he has not played more than 50% of the defensive snaps.
That 50% came in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he recorded three tackles and a fumble recovery. He then followed that up by playing just seven defensive snaps in Week 4 against the Steelers.
In total, he has played just 29% of the possible defensive snaps in the three games he’s appeared in, and he has just six tackles to his name. He’s been targeted four times to this point and has allowed four receptions for 59 yards. The experiment just has not worked to this point.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Reference.
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