These 3 Vikings Need to Change the Narrative — Fast
As we head into the second half of the 2025 NFL season, how this season pans out for the Minnesota Vikings will likely be primarily determined by the next game or two. For Minnesota to find a more consistent performance level, I have singled out three Vikings who need to re-find their roles on the team.
The three Vikings who need to change the narrative fast, highlighting the players whose second-half turnaround could shape Minnesota’s push for relevance.
I’m looking at players who have played instrumental roles in past success but aren’t having the same impact so far in 2025.
3 Vikings Who Must Rediscover Their Impact in the Back Half
If these three can get back to their best, whether it be their personal performance levels or how the team is using them, it will benefit the team for the rest of the season.
T.J. Hockenson
Injuries on the offensive line have led to T.J. Hockenson taking on more blocking duties than would be preferred, but the low number of targets he is receiving in games is still a surprise to me. Quick passes over the middle should be exactly what the Vikings are looking for to help JJ McCarthy get into a rhythm in the early stages of his career.
Hockenson is averaging 4.5 targets a game this season, but has had three or fewer on over half of the games, including all of the last three. That’s not enough for a tight end being paid $16.5 million a year, who should be acting as the safety blanket for the team’s young quarterback.
After the Vikings traded for Hockenson during the 2022 season, he averaged around 8.5 targets per game over the rest of that season and the 2023 season, looking like a 1000-yard receiver and at least a top-five player at the position. A torn ACL and MCL cut his 2023 season short and then delayed the start to his 2024 season.
Coming into 2025 fully healthy and on the back of a full preseason, I hoped to see a return to the pre-injury Hockenson that was a dominant force on Minnesota’s offense. We just aren’t seeing that, and the Vikings offense is worse for it. Kevin O’Connell needs to find a way to get more production out of his highly paid TE.
Ivan Pace
Ivan Pace was one of the stories of the 2023 season, an undersized linebacker who went undrafted but then landed in Minnesota and took the league by storm – including PFWA All-Rookie team honours. Pace is having a disappointing third season and has lost his starting pace to veteran LB Eric Wilson. Pace didn’t play a snap on defense in Week 6 as Wilson took his role, but he has gotten some playing time in the last three games.
Early in his career, Pace impressed in coverage with a pair of interceptions and three passes defended across his first two seasons. This season, Pace has struggled in coverage, though he remains effective as a pass rusher.
His dynamism and ability to get small and through small gaps are a big plus point. I would like him to finish off tackles better, an area where his small stature is a problem. Even staying as the Vikings’ third LB, Pace can have a bigger impact on this defense over the remaining games.
Josh Metellus
Josh Metellus made a name for himself as the Swiss Army knife in the Brian Flores defense—the guy who could do it all and be lined up anywhere as a safety/linebacker hybrid.
With Cam Bynum leaving Minnesota and Harrison Smith and Theo Jackson missing three games between them, Metellus has had to play more as a conventional safety this season. It doesn’t suit his game, as he can often struggle in coverage, especially against the deep pass.
Jackson looks set to return from the concussion that kept him out of last week’s game. So the Vikings should be at full health, giving Metellus more chances to play in his hybrid role. That’s where the Vikings need him to get the best of him. Metellus has been nursing a foot injury he’s been playing through, but he should be good to go on Sunday.
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