The Vikings Have a Brand New Problem
Nobody had the problem on the Minnesota Vikings’ bingo board, but tackling has rapidly turned into a concern.
Out of nowhere, the Minnesota Vikings are battling a new devil and must figure it out in a hurry before tumbling too far in the standings.
The offense, of course, is doing the team no favors, mainly because of quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s raw rookie play, but the tackling on defense has struggled out of the gate in 2025.
It’s a Brand New Demon for the Vikings
The tackling woes are quite strange.
Suddenly, the Vikings Can’t Tackle
For starters, this is really strange.
Minnesota, especially under Brian Flores, has not had any longstanding problems with tackling in the last two seasons. But 2025 is different.
According to Stathead, Minnesota has 22 missed tackles in two games, a devastating and embarrassing stat for a top-tier defense. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets have more missed tackles heading into Week 3.
And, per Pro Football Focus, Minnesota ranks 31st leaguewide after two games per tackling grade, with a lowly 38.3 grade, besting just one team, the Seattle Seahawks. That’s right: Flores’ bunch is the second-worst tackling bunch in the business.
A mighty fall from grace.
This Year vs. Past Years
Wondering why the tackling feels so flimsy? Well, simple — you’re not used to it. These are the numbers:
Vikings Tackling Ranking
per PFF,
Since 2017,
2025: 31st (thru 2 games)
2024: 9th
2023: 20th
2022: 4th
2021: 3rd
2020: 26th
2019: 1st
2018: 1st
2017: 3rd
Flores’ men have time to right the ship, but for now, he went from boasting a Top 10 tackling group as recently as last season to the second-worst gang in the sport.
The Offenders
Whose fault is the tackling sins? The picture is clear, even if the sample is just two games.
These Vikings defenders lead the team in missed tackle percentage:
- Ivan Pace: 26.3%
- Eric Wilson: 23.1%
- Theo Jackson: 18.8%
- Josh Metellus: 18.2%
- Javon Hargrave: 16.7%
None of these players have struggled with tackling in the past, meaning the turmoil could be start-of-season woes stemming from minimal preseason play. That’s really the only thing that makes sense.
The moment Minnesota returns to its normal tackling prowess, the defense will pass the eye test and resume its spot in the NFL’s Top 5 per efficiency.
The Time Is Now to Fix
What’s more, the club must figure out this problem now.
The offense is already doing the enterprise no favors, taking its lumps with a rookie quarterback under center. Thankfully, the kicker has been perfect.
The tackling woes may also be a “Bijan Robinson” problem. That is — the otherworldly tailback who gashed the Vikings on Sunday night inflated the poor tackling numbers, because that’s what the man does.
If Minnesota wishes to preserve its playoff hopes from the summer, the tackling must stabilize as early as this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals. Maybe even the offense can get back on track with Carson Wentz running the show.
More Vikings Defense Takes
A writer at Daily Norseman sized up Minnesota’s defense this week: “I thought the defense played admirably. Giving up over two hundred rushing yards is definitely not ideal. What is ideal, however, is giving up zero touchdowns for the first 56 minutes of the game.”
“This is what a Brian Flores defense looks like when they are solely responsible for keeping Minnesota in the game. The Falcons had five opportunities in the Red Zone and only scored a touchdown on one drive, when the Vikings’ defense was finally gassed and let them walk in to get the ball back.”
Minnesota’s defense ranks 18th per DVOA.
DN continued: “This was, mind you, without difference makers at each level of the defense. Dallas Turner had a sack but got juked out by Bijan Robinson on a play where he was trying to hold the edge. He did not make the most of his opportunity to start with Van Ginkel out. Gink was a Pro Bowler last season, so him being out was tough for the defense to overcome. We saw last year as well, when Cashman was injured, struggles from the Vikings rushing defense.”
“Hat’s off to Eric Wilson for forcing a fumble from Drake London, but Cashman’s presence was definitely missed. I really hope that our future hall-of-fame safety can make it back for week 3. Number 22, I wish you well and can’t wait to see you back in action.”
Ironically, Cincinnati’s offense ranks 18th per offensive DVOA, which isn’t the worst stat imaginable for a team hoping to fix tackling demons.
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