Byron Murphy felt Isaiah Rodgers would set a tone for the defense after the Minnesota Vikings signed him in the offseason.
“The day he got here, we got on the phone. We chopped it up about a lot of stuff,” said Murphy. “To see him come make those plays and show what kind of guy he is, what kind of player he is. He set the standard on defense that we can do every week.”
The Minnesota Vikings signed Rodgers, a five-year veteran who played with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, to start opposite Murphy. They targeted him due to his ability to generate turnovers, which Brian Flores emphasizes, and elevated him to a starting role.
“I can vividly remember the conversation with Brian Flores about him,” Kevin O’Connell recalled after the Vikings beat the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10 on Sunday. “The vision for the player. The vision pairing him with Murph, and what we thought that could be like.”
Rodgers ignited a team that had been stuck in first gear through most of the first two weeks. He picked up a defense that ended games puttering because Minnesota’s offense couldn’t keep them off the field. They marveled at Rodgers’ play, but it also left them wheezing in his wake.
“Since we met him, since they’ve been showing clips from stuff he’s done in the league, it’s all been making plays,” said Josh Metellus. “He’s a guy who [if] you put him in position, he’s gonna make a play.”
He had a pick-six, generated two fumbles — one that he recovered for a touchdown — and broke up a pass intended for Tee Higgins in the end zone. Rodgers became the first Vikings player to score multiple defensive touchdowns in a game, and the first player in NFL history with a pick-six, a touchdown off a turnover, and two forced fumbles in a single game.
“There should be an asterisk next to that record,” said Harrison Smith, who tipped the pass Rodgers picked for a touchdown, “because that was just one half.”
Rodgers nearly hit 21 mph on his 87-yard pick-six. That alone is impressive, but his teammates claim he wasn’t running full speed.
“He was jogging,” said Metellus. “I was running for my life. He was literally staring at the offensive players.”
“Even he said he was kinda chilling,” Murphy confirmed. “He could probably go 22 mph if he wanted to. On that run, I tried to catch up. I was like, ‘I gotta slow down, because I’m gassed.’”
However, Rodgers’ fumble recovery touchdown might have been more impressive. Rodgers knocked the ball out of Noah Fant’s hands while he corralled a catch and was heading upfield, then immediately picked it up and took it 66 yards for a touchdown.
“That punch-out he scored on was exceptional,” said Smith. “It looks easy when it happens. You pick it up and score. It’s so hard to do.”
However, Smith, the 13-year veteran, came away most impressed with Rodgers’ pass breakup in the end zone. Jake Browning broke up a pass intended for Tee Higgins on third-and-eight with the Vikings leading 17-0 late in the first half.
“Honestly, that PBU was probably his best play,” Smith claimed, “especially against a guy like Tee Higgins.”
Rodgers’ play helped the Vikings get off to a fast start. It was a welcome change from the first two weeks, when Minnesota played seven poor quarters and needed heroics late in Week 1 to win in Chicago.
Carson Wentz scored a touchdown on his first drive in a Vikings uniform, but the offense stalled out after that. Minnesota punted the ball on their second drive before Rodgers’ pick-six. In between that and Rodgers’ fumble-recovery touchdown, the Vikings punted twice and kicked a field goal.
“Something we talked about,” said Wentz, “is starting fast and finding our identity in a game quickly.”
The Vikings did that on their first drive, and then Rodgers took over. By the time the Bengals realized what was happening, they were down 34-3 at halftime. Minnesota’s next step is to get off to a fast start without leaning on its defense to score.
Because if Rodgers taught us one thing today, it’s that speed kills.
