Vikings Defender Has Been an Unexpected Difference-Maker
The Minnesota Vikings put on a clinic on Sunday, proving all their doubters wrong. Not many expected the Vikings to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the reigning NFC champions, but Kevin O’Connell’s group pulled it off. It was a solid outing from both the offense and the defense, outside of a couple of turnovers deep in the enemy’s territory and a few penalties.
Vikings Defender Has Been an Unexpected Difference-Maker
Many players had big games. Some of those were certainly expected, like Justin Jefferson’s electric first half before he left the game and Andrew Van Ginkel’s second standout performance.
But Patrick Jones II was an unexpected star in the second consecutive game. The fourth-year player sacked opposing quarterback Brock Purdy twice, a week after taking down Giants QB Daniel Jones twice.
He has already registered four sacks, which ties his career-high. Just a reminder, the Vikings have played two games this season. In the previous three campaigns, Jones logged a total of five sacks ‒ four in 2022 and one in 2023.
Coming out of the University of Pittsburgh, Jones was selected in the infamous third round of the 2021 draft. Infamous because former general manager Rick Spielman also chose Kellen Mond, Chazz Surratt, and Wyatt Davis in that round.
None of those three was on the initial 53-man roster to start the 2022 regular season. They were kept around for only one season and one preseason before the succeeding regime around O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said goodbye to them.
Jones, however, survived numerous roster cuts. Some thought he wouldn’t make the team this year, but he did. Last season, he played 635 defensive snaps, equalling just over half of the plays (56%), and still only produced one sack. His run defense was much improved compared to previous seasons when he really struggled in that area.
The Vikings parted ways with four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter and his running mates D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport in free agency. Brian Flores had only two pass-rushers remaining: undrafted rookie Andre Carter and Jones.
A larger role was in reach, but that dream shattered when the front office replaced the departed trio by signing Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard as well as drafting Dallas Turner. Jihad Ward joined, too, and the Vikings signed UDFA Gabriel Murphy after the draft, who is a promising talent.
But first, Jones claimed a roster spot, then a role on defense, and now he has made some plays. His emergence has transformed the Vikings pass-rushers into an exciting four-man rotation, allowing Flores to play some game and move his guys around, at times playing with three or four of his outside linebackers at the same time.
Jones will turn 26 in a couple of weeks and is in a contract year. Playing like he did in the season’s first two games will get him paid next offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt