A Hyped Vikings Defender has Mostly Been Relegated to the Bench. Is the Shine Wearing Off?
The early word was that the Vikings made a great decision.
After the 2023 NFL Draft, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah ran over to the remaining players, picking up a pair of high-upside defenders. Namely, pass rusher Andre Carter II and linebacker Ivan Pace. The former has struggled to break into the regular rotation but the latter snatched away one of the starting spots at linebacker. Indeed, Pace has been a much-hyped Vikings defender, someone who even caught the eye of All Pro center Jason Kelce.
What’s notable, though, is that Pace’s snap count has been decreasing. Pulling off the upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers involved the rookie linebacker only being on the field for five snaps. He did, however, get in on fifteen snaps for the special teams.
The strong start to the year will leave Vikings fans hoping for more from Pace. The front seven has been hanging strong but there’s a major need for youthful talent up front. Why has Pace been minimized in recent weeks?
Ivan Pace, The Hyped Vikings Defender
Part of the confusion for Vikings fans may be that Brian Asamoah isn’t seeing an increase in playing time. In fact, the sophomore linebacker didn’t get a single snap on defense in Week 7, instead seeing his role be confined solely to special teams (where he had 12 snaps).
So, we’re not dealing with a situation where a different player has hopped into Pace’s spot. Instead, the defensive coordinator is opting to forego a pair of linebackers in favor of a look where a pile of defensive backs get onto the field.
Jordan Hicks is looking refreshed and rejuvenated. He played 53 snaps on Monday, which was 100% of the defensive total. For his efforts, Hicks was rewarded with 8 tackles and a pass defended. Clearly, the veteran has earned the trust of his coordinator. Clearly, the veteran is playing some tremendous football.
Ivan Pace has yet to prove that he’s a better option than the elder statesman at LB. And, to be sure, he’s yet to convince Flores that giving him more snaps is always better than leaning on a bevy of safeties.
Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Camryn Bynum all played 100% of the snaps on Monday Night Football. The wild thing is that Theo Jackson — the team’s fourth safety — actually had more snaps than Pace. Jackson finished with seven plays on defense.
Flores’ strategy has been working. Over the past pair of games, the Vikings have held their opponents (the Bears and 49ers) to a combined 30 points. Or, put differently, just 15 points per game over Week 6 and 7. A major part of that improvement comes back to being to create turnovers. Beating Chicago and San Francisco coincided with forcing a trio of turnovers in each contest.
These two games are when Pace’s snaps really started to dwindle. Take a look at his defensive snap totals:
- Week 1: 46
- Week 2: 61
- Week 3: 41
- Week 4: 37
- Week 5: 38
- Week 6: 12
- Week 7: 5
Obviously, insisting that defensive success clearly follows from demoting Pace would be an oversimplification of what’s occurring. Boiling the improvement down to a single personnel change is foolish. That being said, the defense is rolling right now, and a date with the turnover-prone Jordan Love in Week 8 will likely have Flores enthused about the possibility of another strong outing defensively.
Only 22, Ivan Pace looks like he’ll have a long, productive career in the NFL. He plays with a physical recklessness that endears him to coach and fan alike. What will be important for the UDFA, though, is to show that he’s improving in his pass coverage and that his aggressiveness coming forward for a tackle can’t be used against him.
So far, the rookie has picked up 29 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, and 1 pass defended, appearing in all seven games while starting three. PFF insists that he’s the NFL’s 16th-best linebacker, picking up exemplary marks for his ability as a pass rusher.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.