5 Vikings Players Who’ve Carried the Team So Far
Sportsbooks believe the Minnesota Vikings have a 25% chance of reaching the postseason tournament in January, and if so, they’ll need the following five players to maintain their impressive pace.
At a season’s crossroads with a 2-2 record, the Minnesota Vikings have a chance to make a run, in large part because of five main players.
At .500, the season can break a couple of ways, and it’s worth noting that Minnesota has not reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 2008-2009.
So, through four weeks, these are the team’s five best players, listed ascendingly (No. 1 = best player).
The Top 5 Vikings Players thru One Quarter of the Season
Men propping up the enterprise beyond the shadow of a doubt.
5. Jordan Mason (RB)
Mason is on track for over 1,100 rushing yards, a number that could climb even higher as he settles into an RB1 workload. The San Francisco 49ers mind-bogglingly traded Mason for a 6th-Rounder in March, and purple fans can see why the front office and coaching staff wanted him.
He’s guaranteed yards, a pass-blocking running back, and finds the endzone. Try to imagine the Vikings’ first four games without Mason. Yuck.
BrownsWire‘s Owen O’Connor sized up Mason ahead of this Sunday’s matchup with Minnesota.
He wrote, “Since filling in for starting running back Aaron Jones, backup Jordan Mason has been an upgrade for Minnesota’s offense. Mason has collected 271 rushing yards, which ranks 11th in the NFL among all running backs. His most notable game came against the Bengals in Week 3, when he ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Luckily for Cleveland, the Vikings will be without three key starting offensive linemen, meaning Mason should struggle against the Browns’ elite defensive line.”
“The Browns have been very successful against the run so far in 2025. In four games, the team has contained opposing rushing attacks to just 2.62 yards per carry. Their so-called “worst” performance of the season was last week against the elite Detroit Lions offense, allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Maliek Collins will look to continue this trend of shutting down running backs.”
4. Brian O’Neill (RT)
This one is painful because O’Neill will miss games with a sprained MCL. But generally speaking, he dodged a bullet by avoiding an MCL tear, which would’ve ended his season.
So far this season, O’Neill has constructed an O’Neillian season, complete with a 72.4 Pro Football Focus score, ranking him in the NFL’s Top 20 at his position.
Here’s to hoping O’Neill will be back sooner rather than later.
3. Jalen Redmond (DT)
Redmond, a relative unknown among NFL fans, is on track for 13 sacks, and he plays defensive tackle, not outside linebacker or defensive end.
Fans began to see Redmond’s breakout in 2024, with tackles for loss flying all over the place. He arrived to the 2025 season and looks ever better. PFF calls Redmond the league’s second-best defensive tackle next to Cleveland Browns DT Maleik Collins.
2. Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
Rodgers put his name on the map during Week 3, slicing and dicing the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense for two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles, and general taming of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
His 45.8 passer-rating-against is absolutely terrific, and the Week 3 performance spoke for itself, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Nobody predicted it in July or August, but Rodgers is Minnesota’s best defensive player through four games, narrowly edging outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard.
1. Justin Jefferson (WR)
Jefferson is on pace for 1,386 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns — a down year for him but a career highlight for many. Until he’s not, he remains the Vikings’ best player, and this go-round, it’s not all that close.
His numbers and production will climb when J.J. McCarthy settles into a groove, but in the meantime, he’ll be receiving passes from Carson Wentz and McCarthy, who is maturing on the fly.
Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio on Jefferson this week: “With a 126-yard receiving performance in Week 4, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson has gotten closer and closer to making a final assault on the record books for early-career achievement. Jefferson now has 7,758 receiving yards, four games into his sixth NFL season.”
“With 79 yards on Sunday against the Browns, Jefferson will pass Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson for fourth on the list of most receiving yards in a player’s first six seasons. Johnson had 7,836. Ranking third is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, with 7,866. Next is Torry Holt, with 8,156. And the leader is Hall of Famer Randy Moss, at 8,375 yards. Jefferson needs only 618 yards over the next 13 games to pass Moss for first place.’
If the List Contained Six Players: Jonathan Greenard (OLB)
Greenard ranks eighth in quarterback hits, 13th in QB hurries, and 15th in total pressures. Just one sack has raised a few eyebrows, but those should arrive before too long.
The 28-year-old remains a beacon of consistency at outside linebacker and is a life-safer with Andrew Van Ginkel mostly out of the lineup.
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