The Big Surprises for the Vikings Out of the Gate
Sportsbooks favored the Minnesota Vikings to prevail in Week 1, and after some turbulence, they ended up doing precisely that over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
The Vikings opened the 2025 season on Monday night with some unexpected twists. Here are the big surprises out of the gate.
The team is now 1-0, with sights set on the Atlanta Falcons for Sunday Night Football in Week 2.
Along the way in Week 1, a few surprises stood off the page. These are those.
Head-Turning Vikings Developments to Start 2025
The surprising stuff for Minnesota to start the season.
Injuries … Already
The Vikings’ regular season is one week old, and the following men are injured or suspended and will not play in Week 2:
— C.J. Ham
— Jeff Okudah
— Ty Chandler
— Rondale Moore
— Blake Cashman
— Jordan Addison
— Christian Darrisaw
— Andrew Van Ginkel
That kind of list should be facing the team in December or so. Nope — Minnesota has injury and suspension demons in early September.
J.J. McCarthy’s Heroics … in His First Game
Most Vikings fans had decided this summer that J.J. McCarthy would probably end up being pretty good — down the line. He has a winner’s pedigree, Kevin O’Connell as his mentor, and offensive weapons galore.
What most didn’t expect was a wild 4th Quarter comeback in his first-ever game, which is exactly what he produced on Monday Night Football.
He played so well in crunchtime on Monday that some fans have wondered if Minnesota has finally found a quarterback of its own to rely on for the next decade-plus.
The guy was pure magic when Minnesota needed him the most … in his first career game.
Jordan Mason’s Workload
Jordan Mason is the RB2 on the Vikings’ depth chart. Fans saw that arrangement this summer and said, “Great. Fine. We’ll take it. That works.”
However, when the regular season hit, Mason appeared to morph into the RB1 against the Bears. He outsnapped Aaron Jones, the RB1 on the depth chart, outtouched him, and outproduced him.
Jones, of course, had a marvelous touchdown reception, but per the rushing workload, O’Connell flipped the script on fans. Mason seemed like the RB1, if only for a week.
Jeff Okudah Barely Playing
Back in the spring and early in the summer, fans wondered which third cornerback would accompany Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers on the field in Brian Flores’ secondary. The answer in Chicago? Almost none.
Jeff Okudah won the CB3 job at training camp, but in Week 1, he played just 16 snaps, and no other CBs besides Murphy Jr. or Rodgers saw the field. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hinted Minnesota might play “big nickel” this season, and he wasn’t kidding.
If the CB3 barely plays, well, big nickel it is.
It’s also worth noting that Okudah was concussed on the final play of the game at Chicago and will miss Week 2. Youngster Dwight McGlothern will probably take his spot — or 16 snaps.
Donovan Jackson a Stud Right Away
The Bears don’t have a masterful interior defensive line, but the duo of Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett also isn’t poor.
Regardless, Jackson, the Vikings’ 1st-Rounder in 2025, held his own on Monday night — and then some. Jackson banked a 74.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, along with an 88.1 pass-blocking mark, which is just otherworldly for a Vikings guard in the last decade.
Fans would’ve been impressed with Jackson if he merely played serviceably in his maiden voyage game. Instead, the man looked like a stud. The true test will arrive in Week 7 when Jackson goes to war against the Philadelphia Eagles’ phenomenal defensive tackles.
Zone Coverage‘s Trevor Ripley on Jackson in Week 1: “Ultimately, the best part about Jackson’s performance wasn’t that he didn’t give up a sack. Or a hit, or a pressure, or even a hurry. He did all of that despite missing tackle Christian Darrisaw to his left.”
“Justin Skule played relatively poorly as Darrisaw’s replacement, leaving major holes along the line, as well as in any argument that Jackson needs to be shielded by elite talent to succeed in his first year. He’ll have bad days this season, but the Vikings have every right to be thrilled with Jackson’s long-term potential.”
For at least a week, Jackson ranks as the NFL’s best pass-blocking guard, per PFF.
Ripley continued, “While in past years Minnesota’s guards seemingly took the phrase ‘watch the quarterback’ to mean head to the couch and take in the Netflix series, Jackson got down to business and made sure his franchise QB stayed clean all night. He’ll have another chance to stonewall the Atlanta Falcons, who only registered one sack last week, on Sunday night in another primetime game. With a young quarterback and two talented running backs, the success of Minnesota’s offense in 2025 will hinge on the freshly rebuilt offensive line.”
“As an unproven rookie, Jackson might have been the biggest question mark of the group, but those concerns were put on hold after a dominant performance in Week 1. A constant thorn in Kevin O’Connell’s side, guard is now a position with a bright future, thanks to the additions of Jackson and free agent Will Fries.”
Here’s to hoping the Vikings’ longstanding offensive guard troubles are over.
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