The Confident and “Crazy” Cincinnati Kid Returns Home in Week 15
Will Goodwin
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“Y’all done effed up when they didn’t draft me and I’m and showing ‘em. I knew I had that dog in me.”
Bold words from a bold man.
Ivan Pace Jr. is indeed showing us. Before fans could even nestle into their seats inside Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Pace’s fingerprints were all over the game. He recorded tackles on each of the first two Raider snaps and finished that first drive with five.
Three hours later, his diving interception ended one of the weirdest NFL games of the year.
Along with the interception and a sack to end the first half, he finished with a career-high (and game-high) 13 tackles. He played every single defensive snap while wearing the “green dot,” the notifier for the defensive play caller.
That’s a 22-year-old calling plays for the NFL’s fifth-best defense (based on EPA per play). What the undrafted rookie has meant to this defense is not lost on Kevin O’Connell. “We’re really lucky to have [Ivan Pace Jr.] and quite honestly, [I] don’t know where we’d be without him.”
Pace filled team captain and defensive play caller Jordan Hicks’ shoes after Hicks landed on injured reserve following Week 10 and the Vikings defense hasn’t missed a beat. In the three games that have followed, the Vikings have allowed one defensive touchdown, 11.0 points per game, and a fifth-best 4.71 yards per play over that span.
Many have stepped up, including Troy Dye, who recorded his first NFL sack on Sunday, but the success of this group starts with the young man who is communicating Brian Flores’ play calls to his teammates.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, NFL.com rated him as an “Average backup or special-teamer.” He has started nine games and doesn’t even play special teams anymore; he’s too valuable to the defense.
Training camp was not yet over when O’Connell knew what they had uncovered in the young linebacker.
“Gold stars all the way around right now for Ivan. As I’ve challenged him to do, you’re not just trying to compete to make our team; let’s see where you can go and possibly help us win football games from the jump.”
Although his coaches, teammates, and fans have known for a long time, Ivan is finally getting a little more attention at the national level, even if it took till mid-December. A game-sealing interception and backflip coupled with a league-best 92.9 PFF rating for Week 14 will do that for you.
It’s easy to overlook a 5’10” 231-pound linebacker. Just ask the 32 teams that didn’t draft him. With all he has had to overcome to get to just this point, a supreme level of confidence is required. Pace has no shortage of that.
“I ain’t never been surprised [at my performance]. I know how good I am. I’ve been showing the world since I was young that I was good. Now I’m here, in the league, and still proving it.”
From when Pace arrived last Spring, safety Camryn Bynum noticed another ingredient to his new teammate’s success.
“He’s crazy. He has a screw loose,” Bynum remarked with a wry smile after Sunday’s win.
Despite his eye-popping performance in Minnesota’s 16th shutout in franchise history, Pace’s level of impact is not some new development.
Of all rookie linebackers, Pace has received the highest pass rush and coverage grades from PFF. Among that group, he has the most solo tackles, QB pressures and hits, sacks, and is only one of two to force a fumble. He has played the most snaps of all rookie linebackers, another testament to the value he provides for this defense.
Many are calling for his Defensive Rookie of the Year candidacy, which, after Sunday’s performance, is quite warranted. However, with higher-pedigree players like Devon Witherspoon, Jalen Carter, and Will Anderson Jr. also turning in solid rookie campaigns, the path to that award will be difficult. Regardless, he’s picking the right time to bring his game to new heights.
The Cincinnati Kid Returns Home in Week 15
Pace’s rise couldn’t be coming at a more poetic time. Week 15 in Cincinnati is one that is certain to have been circled on the rookie’s calendar since the schedules were released. Born and raised in the Queen City, Pace transferred to the University of Cincinnati to play alongside his brother, Deshawn, and Saturday afternoon at Paycor Stadium is somewhat of a homecoming for him. He’s had friends and family ask him for “forty, fifty” tickets already.
As if the upcoming matchup with his hometown team – although he grew up cheering for the Cowboys – needed any more significance, Saturday is a special day for Ivan all by itself.
“December 16th is my birthday. I’m gonna be back home, starting, green dot. I’m gonna put on a show for them too.”
This much is clear: Pace is grateful for the opportunity to live out his dream and is loving every minute of it.
“It’s a blessing to be here. It’s a blessing to make it through another day of life, because nothing’s promised to anybody. Just thinking back, where I started from and how far I’ve come, now I’m in the league. It’s every guy’s dream.”
Flores is proud of what he’s seen from Pace and hopes “he continues to ascend,” because he knows that his rookie leader is capable of more.
“Hopefully he has reason to do more backflips.”
Notes: Statistics were sourced from Pro Football Reference and Stathead, unless otherwise noted.
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Will is a husband, father, and earned an undergraduate degree in Economics (just like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah). Will’s favorite pastimes are water skiing, Minnesota sports, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Formerly, he contributed to Vikings Territory. He is the co-host of the Load the Box Vikings Podcast with Jordan Hawthorn. Follow him on Twitter (@willbadlose) and find his other sports content at Twins Daily and his very own Bad Loser Blog.