Vikings Benched a Starter on Sunday
For the third time this season, the Minnesota Vikings failed to beat an opponent. This time, the reigning Super Bowl champions came to U.S. Bank Stadium and snatched the victory. Mistakes on offense dictated the game early, while the defense fell apart in the second half.
Vikings Benched a Starter on Sunday
That defense played the entire game without Ivan Pace. The linebacker was healthy, but the Vikings just didn’t use him on defense. He kept a role on special teams.
Prior to Sunday’s matchup, Pace had started the previous five games of the season. He also started ten of 11 games he played in last year and 11 of 17 games in 2023. In Weeks 1 through 5, Pace logged 238 defensive snaps, equalling 76.3% of the total possible plays, and he had at least 41 snaps in each game.
Certainly, Blake Cashman’s return to the lineup even gave the Vikings a chance to say “no thanks” to Pace. However, with Cashman active in Week 1, Pace still logged 47 snaps on defense, and they played next to each other last year.
The first time Jalen Hurts awaited the snap from his center with two linebackers on the field, Cashman was flanked by Eric Wilson, his replacement from the previous week. Cashman missed four games on IR with a hamstring injury, and Wilson entered the starting lineup while also taking over as the green-dot play-calling linebacker with the speaker in his helmet.
Wilson played quite well for the most part, while Pace has had some issues this season, especially in terms of tackling and stopping the run. Pace has already missed ten tackles, according to PFF. That’s the second-most in the NFL among linebackers. Yet, he has 37 tackles and one sack in his 2025 resume.
After his first game in over a month, Cashman was asked about Pace and said, “IP, he’s a great teammate, great football player. He’s done a lot of wonderful things here, and he will continue to do great things. I just told him to keep plugging away, don’t get discouraged. I actually shared some stories with him about myself and my journey, and other guys I’ve played with, I’ve played with some guys that ended up being All-Pro and were kind of in similar situations as him. So, I say keep going because you never know how things can shake out in a season, and you just always got to be ready and conduct each week like a professional.”
Wise words from Cashman. The NFL is a week-to-week business. Injuries can happen at any time, and suddenly, a benched player is back in the spotlight. There’s also a chance that the benching was just opponent-related. Potentially, the Vikings wanted Wilson on the field against the Eagles, and Pace is a better fit for Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers, who will be Thursday’s opponent.
But maybe Wilson is just a better football player at this point. Cashman was also asked about his fellow linebacker: “We’re a better football team with him on the field. He’s great to have out there, helps me out a lot, just with the calls, echoing the calls.”
Especially in home games, the crowd is making so much noise, it’s hard to get the plays from one side to another, and having a second linebacker with the ability to communicate at a high level can make a difference.
Wilson has shown that he’s more than a communicator, however. The veteran entered the game with 35 tackles, a couple of tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. On Sunday, he was credited with 1.5 sacks and six tackles.
He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings in Mike Zimmer’s defense. The club moved on in the 2021 offseason, and Wilson bounced around, ultimately finding a home for three years in Green Bay. In March, he was re-signed as a backup, and he has now started five consecutive games, even with both initial starters healthy.
On Thursday, we’ll learn whether Pace’s role was a genuine benching or just a game-plan decision. Pace will turn 25, and he’s in the final year of his rookie contract.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.