On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ dream of a three-peat, winning the Super Bowl 40-22. Although Jalen Hurts won MVP honors, Philadelphia’s lines, specifically on defense, spearheaded the victory.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Eagles pressured Patrick Mahomes 16 times, registering six sacks despite not blitzing him once. Instead, they relied on four-man rushes while dropping seven men into coverage. That led to two Mahomes interceptions, including a 57-yard touchdown return by Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean that gave Philadelphia a 17-0 lead. Seven minutes remained in the first half, but Philadelphia’s physical nature left little doubt that they would win the game.
Saquon Barkley may have only rushed for 57 yards in the Super Bowl, but the Eagles wouldn’t have been in the game if not for how effective their ground game was all season. Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in 2024, becoming just the ninth player of all-time to break the 2,000 rushing-yard barrier. But that was also 688 more yards than his previous career high, showing that his success was a product of both his offensive line and his all-world talent.
You didn’t have to watch the Super Bowl to see that the Minnesota Vikings have a ways to go to match the Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines. Still, like all league trends, Philadelphia’s physicality and dominance on the line will force teams to rethink their approach to team-building. Drafting and signing skill positions and quarterbacks make headlines, but teams win in the trenches.
Sometimes, we see a lack of talent or production at positions and assume it’s due to neglect. That can be true, but in Minnesota’s case, their woes along the lines aren’t due to negligence. They’ve signed and drafted players to add to both sides of the line. However, these additions haven’t met expectations over the past decade.
Offensive line issues go back to the Ponder era
The issues along the offensive line have been an issue since 2011. The Vikings released Pro Bowl left tackle Bryant McKinnie, who had spent the past nine seasons in Minnesota, one month before the season. They replaced him with former Indianapolis Colts tackle Charlie Johnson. Like most players on that offense, Johnson struggled to protect Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder’s blindsides, giving up 49 pressures and eight sacks, per PFF.
All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson was at the end of his career, which also hurt the line. He struggled with knee issues in 2011, missing two games, and wasn’t the same player he was in the first 10 years of his career. When he left following the season, the Vikings had holes at left tackle and guard, two spots that could always be counted on in the past regardless of the team’s success.
After going 3-13 in 2011, the Vikings had the third pick in the 2012 draft. After trading down one spot with the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota drafted left tackle Matt Kalil out of USC. They hoped Kalil would become the team’s franchise left tackle and hold the job for the next decade, protecting Ponder, who the team hoped would become a franchise quarterback.
Kalil’s career got off to a great start, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012 when he only allowed 27 pressures and three sacks. But he could never replicate his rookie success, allowing 49, 55, and 47 pressures the next three seasons, respectively. The Vikings placed Kalil on injured reserve in September 2016, ending his fifth season in Minnesota. He departed in free agency after the season, leaving a void at left tackle.
The rest of the line was fine through 2015 but needed an upgrade going into the 2016 season. Minnesota added left guard Alex Boone and right tackle Andre Smith in free agency. Unfortunately, neither lasted beyond 2016. Boone signed a four-year, $26.8 million contract with Minnesota. However, they released him less than a month before the 2017 regular season began. Smith’s season ended when he suffered a triceps injury in Week 4.
With Kalil and Smith injured, the Vikings moved second-year tackle T.J. Clemmings, a fourth-round pick in 2015, from right to left tackle. Clemmings allowed 58 pressures on 882 snaps, losing all confidence. Minnesota cut him before the 2017 season.
Minnesota tried fixing the line at the end of Spielman’s run
The Vikings were dedicated to fixing the line heading into the 2017 season, drafting center Pat Elflein in the third round and guard Danny Isidora in the fifth. They also signed Riley Reiff to play left tackle. Elflein had a great rookie season before shoulder and ankle injuries affected his play. Minnesota moved him to left guard in 2019 and waived him halfway through the 2020 season.
Elflein moved to guard because the Vikings drafted center Garrett Bradbury with the 18th-overall pick in the 2019 draft. Bradbury has been the starter ever since. However, he hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing. He’s only once posted a pass-blocking grade above 60, an average grade in PFF’s system. The Vikings could potentially look to move on from Bradbury, who will turn 30 this offseason.
The Vikings took Dru Samia in the fourth round of the 2019 draft to fill Elflein’s vacancy. Samia was a disaster, allowing 14 pressures on only 136 snaps before the Vikings replaced him with second-round tackle-turned-guard Ezra Cleveland in 2020.
Samia joined a long list of mid- to late-round linemen who failed to produce in Minnesota. That includes 2014 fifth-rounder David Yankey, 2016 fourth-rounder Willie Beavers, and 2018 sixth-rounder Colby Gossett.
The Vikings couldn’t fill out their line even when they tried to address guard with higher picks. Wyatt Davis, a 2021 third-round pick, never played a regular-season snap with the team. Minnesota benched 2022 second-round guard Ed Ingram halfway through last season, setting him up to be cut this offseason.
Fortunately, the Vikings hit on right tackle in 2018 when they took Brian O’Neill in the second round. He has been the team’s starter ever since and filled a gap that had been open since Phil Loadholt’s career ended during the 2015 preseason. They replaced Reiff with Christian Darrisaw in the 2021 draft three years later. Still, the Vikings need to fix the interior of the offensive line to match their play at tackle.
Sharrif Floyd’s injury signaled early defensive line issues
The defensive line didn’t have the decade-long inconsistency that the offense did. However, unfortunate circumstances and failed draft experiments prevented the team from replacing aging, expensive players who left following the 2019 season.
Minnesota took Sharrif Floyd with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2013 draft, and he should have become a cornerstone player. However, injuries plagued Floyd in his first three seasons. Although he showed flashes of dominance, he never played more than 572 snaps in a season.
Floyd then suffered a knee injury in Week 1 of the 2016 season. Although it wasn’t expected to keep him out long, he had surgery in late September and ended up missing the rest of the season. Two years later, Floyd filed a lawsuit against Dr. James Andrews, saying the botched surgery left him with degenerative muscle and nerve issues.
Floyd’s absence left the Vikings with a hole at three-technique. They replaced him with longtime journeyman Tom Johnson, who would perform admirably in his place. Unfortunately, Johnson was 33 when the 2017 season ended, meaning the Vikings would have to replace him with a younger, more explosive option.
A rotating cast of characters
The Vikings signed former first-round pick Sheldon Richardson to a one-year contract to take his place. Although Richardson could rush the passer, tallying 47 pressures and 4.5 sacks in 2018, Mike Zimmer didn’t like his lack of consistency in the run game.
Richardson left following the season, and the Vikings filled Richardson’s role with Shamar Stephen and 2017 fourth-round pick Jaleel Johnson. Stephen and Johnson combined for 4.5 sacks but only 17 pressures in 2019.
Minnesota’s defense still ranked fifth in points allowed and had Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, and Linval Joseph along the line. However, Griffen and Joseph left via free agency after the season, forcing role players into the starting lineup in 2020. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce, signed to a three-year, $27 million deal, opted out of the season due to COVID-19.
The Vikings ruled Hunter out for the season with a neck injury, further complicating matters. Minnesota traded a second-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for former Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Unfortunately, after a 1-5 start, the team traded him to the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth-round pick because he was a liability in the run game.
Unfortunately, the rest of the line featured 2017 seventh-round pick Ifeadi Odenigbo, 2018 fourth-round pick Jalyn Holmes, rookie fourth-round pick D.J. Wonnum, and 2019 fifth-round pick Armon Watts. Stephen and Johnson were still getting most of the snaps at defensive tackle, but they played even worse without a strong supporting cast. The Vikings allowed the fourth-most points in 2020.
Minnesota missed big in the 2021 draft
The 2021 draft didn’t provide great results for the defensive line, even though the Vikings selected three of them. Third-rounder Patrick Jones II finally broke out in 2024, but the team didn’t get any production out of its other two selections.
Fourth-round defensive end Janarius Robinson never played a snap for the team, getting cut before the 2023 season. Jaylen Twyman, their sixth-round defensive tackle, was shot four times in June 2021, ending his rookie season. He also never played a snap for the team.
Fearing a repeat of the 2020 season, the Vikings brought Richardson and Griffen back in 2021. They signed Dalvin Tomlinson, hoping he could help solidify the inside of the line and provide a pass-rushing presence alongside Pierce.
Unfortunately, the Vikings ranked 24th in points and 30th in yards allowed in 2021. They allowed 4.9 yards per rush and failed to force teams into long-yardage third-down situations. Pierce only played eight games and was let go after the season. Hunter had a great beginning to the season, but a pectoral injury forced him to miss the season’s final ten games.
Minnesota’s D-line is ahead of the O-line
The Vikings are close to fixing the defensive line, though. They added Harrison Phillips in 2022; he’s a locker-room leader and a force in the run game. In their first season with the team, 2024 free-agent acquisitions Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel were voted to the Pro Bowl. The Vikings drafted Dallas Turner 17th overall, and he will likely get more playing time in 2025.
Minnesota’s defense enters the 2025 offseason in a similar position to when it lost Sharrif Floyd. It needs an interior defensive lineman who can rush the passer. Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery performed admirably last year, but edge rushers and linebackers replaced them in passing situations.
If they want to replicate the Eagles’ formula, the Vikings must address defensive tackle with either their first-round draft pick or their $55 million in effective cap space. As circumstances have it, Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, who forced a fumble on Mahomes and recovered it on Sunday, will be a free agent next month.
The Vikings have had issues along both lines over the past decade. Although their acquisitions may not have yielded the best results, the Vikings can’t say they didn’t try to invest in the trenches. With an abundance of cap space and improvements at other spots on the roster, Minnesota may finally be able to put the finishing touches on building championship lines.
