The Biggest Vikings Underachievers to Start the Season
The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of time to right the ship in 2025 after starting 2-2, especially this weekend in London against the Cleveland Browns, and the mission statement would be much more explicit if five or so players returned to their normative form.
The 2025 regular season has a long way to go, but so far, these Minnesota Vikings players haven’t quite performed to the level that was expected.
The purple team has put some good stuff on tape through four games — stingy defense, Justin Jefferson (in general), and an improved rushing offense — but more is required if the club wants to reach the postseason for a second consecutive year.
5 Underachieving Vikings thru 4 Games
It’s reasonable to ask these men to step up.
1. Jonathan Allen (DT)
Pro Football Focus has assigned Allen a 49.5 grade through four weeks, and Allen has logged zero sacks. It may take the 30-year-old a while to get going, but at his price point — three years and $51 million — Minnesota needs more than 49.5 grades. They can get that from undrafted free agents.
Allen may be sitting on a monster game, and it would actually make sense for that to happen considering his typical production, but so far, Allen is not worth $17 million per year.
RiggosRag.com‘s Dean Jones wrote about Allen a couple of weeks ago, “The Alabama product is on the decline performance-wise. Age catches up to everyone in the end, and even though it’s only one game, Allen didn’t look like he was going to turn the tide on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. Minnesota managed to emerge from Soldier Field with a valuable division win after a stunning comeback in the second half.”
“First-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy recovered from some early jitters to lead the charge, formally announcing himself on the NFL stage after missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. Allen was a fantastic servant to the Commanders, but things had run their course.”
Encountering an age-related decline at 30 would be quite mind-boggling for Allen.
Jones added, “Looking at the way Daron Payne and free-agent signing Javon Kinlaw dominated the trenches in Week 1 against the New York Giants, it was the correct call from Washington’s ruthless front office leader. Allen is a solid pro and an exceptional leader within the locker room. It also takes time to settle into a new environment, regardless of whether you’re an experienced figure or a rookie looking to make a splash.”
“Commanders fans wish Allen nothing but the best. But the franchise moving on from the player came at the best possible time.”
2. Byron Murphy Jr. (CB)
Entering Week 5, Murphy Jr. has a 109.9 passer-rating-against, up (not in a good way) from 76.7 last season. Murphy Jr. even reached the Pro Bowl in 2024.
He’s played second fiddle to Isaiah Rodgers — a revelation for the Vikings — and needs a string of consecutive games to restore his Pro Bowl reputation. Murphy Jr. hasn’t necessarily played poorly, but he defintely hasn’t been great.
3. Jeff Okudah (CB)
Okudah has played 51 snaps on defense and has a 33.8 PFF grade. That’s pretty much all you need to know.
Many believed that Okudah might break out into stardom after years of underachievement, with Brian Flores at his side, but four games in 2025, that theory is not ringing true at all. The guy might’ve even regressed in Minnesota if that can be believed.
4. Ivan Pace Jr. (LB)
Seventy off-ball linebackers qualify for PFF’s current grading system (minimum number of snaps), and that grading website says Pace Jr. is the 62nd-best.
That means he’s a Bottom 10 linebacker in the league. Pace Jr. was plagued by missed tackles to start the season, along with several of his defensive teammates. He has time to right the ship, but must start soon. As an undrafted free agent in 2023, Pace Jr. is in a contract year of sorts.
Pace Jr.’s PFF grade as a rookie hit 77.1. It’s 42.1 at the moment.
5. Adam Thielen (WR)
Minnesota spent a 4th-Rounder and a 5th-Rounder via trade with the Carolina Panthers to obtain Thielen, a 5th-Rounder, and a 7th-Rounder.
Through four games, Thielen has 4 catches for 37 yards. He’s on pace for 17 receptions and 137 yards, which is what a WR6 might accumulate in a regular season. Thielen has time to rebound and make a dent in the Vikings’ offense, but so far, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah overpaid.
The team has grand plans for Thielen to play WR2 while Jordan Addison served a suspension, but that idea never came to fruition.
Not for nothing, our Cole Smith predicted that Thielen will hit paydirt Sunday in London: “Adam Thielen will score a touchdown. It’s been a quiet start to the season for Adam Thielen, who returned to the Vikings after spending the past two seasons in Carolina. The 35-year-old receiver has caught just four passes for 37 yards this year.”
“Look for him to slip through the cracks as the Vikings deploy a fully healthy wide receiving corps. Thielen had a famous celebration following an 18-yard touchdown reception in 2017 against the Browns in London. Look for him to rekindle that magic.”
Thielen needs it.
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