Vikings snap counts and notable PFF grades from Week 1 win over the Giants

The Vikings handled a bad team in impressive fashion on Sunday, imposing their will on the Giants in a 28-6 victory. A mix of rookies and regulars worked together brilliantly in their first opportunity to take the field together and set the tone for the season.

Let’s take a look at the snap counts and some notable Pro Football Focus ratings to see what we can learn from the Vikings’ opener.

* QB Sam Darnold: 55
* C Garrett Bradbury: 55
* LT Christian Darrisaw: 55
* LG Blake Brandel: 55
* RG Ed Ingram: 55
* RT Brian O’Neill: 55
* WR Justin Jefferson: 46
* WR Brandon Powell: 30
* RB Aaron Jones: 30
* TE Johnny Mundt: 29
* WR Jordan Addison: 28
* TE Josh Oliver: 27
* WR Jalen Nailor: 26
* RB Ty Chandler: 20
* FB CJ Ham: 19
* WR Trent Sherfield: 17
* TE Nick Muse: 2
* RB Myles Gaskin: 1

Addison left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury, meaning the Vikings had to rely on Powell, Nailor and Sherfield to supplement Jefferson. Nailor scored a touchdown, but it’s notable that he played fewer snaps than the experienced Powell (who didn’t have a target). Jones getting 30 more snaps than Chandler to 20 feels about right, though I’d imagine Jones’s share of playing time will increase slightly in next week’s tough matchup against the 49ers.

Among the Vikings’ top five offensive players were three linemen.

1. Brandel — 91.2
2. Jones – 90.9
3. Darnold-88.1
4. O’Neill – 85.9
5. Darrisaw – 79.4

In that group, Brandel stands out. The former backup tackle had a stellar debut as the Vikings’ starting left guard, earning grades above 87 in both run blocking and pass blocking. He didn’t allow a single pressure. O’Neill and Darrisaw did what they often do, holding Giants edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux to one pressure each. Darnold was sharp and efficient. Jones showed why the Vikings thought so highly of him.

Ingram and Bradbury, who had their hands full with the dominant Dexter Lawrence, received poor marks. The same went for Ham, who lost a fumble on the first possession, and Mundt.

* S Camryn Bynum: 67
* S. Harrison Smith: 67
* S Josh Metellus: 63
* LB Blake Cashman: 62
* CB Stephen Gilmore: 61
* CB Byron Murphy Jr.: 55
* LLB Jonathan Greenard: 51
* Center back Shaq Griffin: 44
* OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 41
* Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.: 38
* DL Jerry Tillery: 38
* DL Harrison Phillips: 36
* OLB Dallas Turner: 35
* OLB Pat Jones II: 34
* DL Jihad District: 29
* Defensive player Jonathan Bullard: 27
* DL Taki Taimani: 10
* S Jay Ward: 3
* Centre-back Akayleb Evans: 3
* S. Theo Jackson: 3
* CB Bobby McCain: 3

What a performance from this group. Brian Flores appears to have all the players needed to lead a very dangerous defense in 2024. It’s notable that Cashman wore the green dot and played 87 percent of the snaps. Pace played only 54 percent of the snaps, but he was very disruptive when he was on the field. Van Ginkel, whose pick-six was one of the highlights of the game, also shined in a not-quite-full role.

16 players seeing at least 27 snaps shows the rotation Flores wants to use to keep guys fresh, especially among his defensive linemen and outside linebackers. Even Greenard may not be as much of an every-down player as Danielle Hunter was last year. It obviously worked, as the Vikings finished the game with five sacks and had five players record at least three pressures. Flores was even able to get some backup DBs on the field at the end of a blowout win.

These were the top five grades for Flores’ group:

1. Van Ginkel – 90.6
2. Smith – 90.4
3. Speed ​​– 82.2
4. Phillips – 80.3
5. Metellus — 80.2

That’s a freshman in the AVG, joining the four key holdovers from last year’s team. Jihad Ward finished just below that list with a 79.9 rating and four pressures in a matchup against his former team. Gilmore, Cashman and Bynum also earned ratings in the 70s on a stellar day for the Vikings’ defense. Griffin, Jones and Turner received significantly lower ratings, although the latter two combined for three sacks.