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

Let’s dive into some of the player data from Sunday’s incredible Vikings victory.

Sep 14, 2026 11:53 AM CDT

By Will Ragatz

Senior Reporter, Bring Me The Sports

Vikings offensive snaps vs. Packers (out of 65)

• LT Christian Darrisaw: 65

• LG Donovan Jackson: 65

• C Blake Brandel: 65

• RG Will Fries: 65

• RT Brian O’Neill: 65

• WR Justin Jefferson: 60

• WR Jordan Addison: 54

• QB Carson Wentz: 54

• TE T.J. Hockenson: 43

• TE Josh Oliver: 42

• WR Jauan Jennings: 31

• RB Aaron Jones: 30

• RB Jordan Mason: 29

• FB Max Bredeson: 24

• QB Kyler Murray: 11

• RB DeeJay Dallas: 6

• WR Tai Felton: 3

• WR Myles Price: 3

It was nice to see the Vikings’ offensive line play the entire game without injury. It was far less nice to see Murray concussed on a brutal hit just 11 snaps into his Vikings career. Addison played quite a bit despite finishing without a catch for just the fourth time in 47 career games. Jennings also went catch-less on a day where the Vikings had only 15 completions and every wide receiver catch was made by Jefferson.

As expected, it was a very even split for Jones and Mason in snaps and touches. Bredeson mixed in on over a third of the snaps in his debut. Dallas played six snaps, mostly as a pass protector on third downs.

Top 6 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Justin Jefferson — 90.3

2. Josh Oliver — 76.5

3. Christian Darrisaw — 68.6

4. Aaron Jones — 67.0

5. Jordan Mason — 66.4

6. T.J. Hockenson — 66.3

As the grades show, Jefferson was far and away the Vikings’ best player on offense. It wasn’t a great day for the offensive line, but Darrisaw played well and looked healthy. Donovan Jackson isn’t on the list because of a poor run-blocking grade, but he earned an elite 88.4 pass-blocking grade and did not allow a pressure. The Vikings’ tight end and running back duos were effective.

Bottom 5

1. Jauan Jennings: 46.4

2. Will Fries: 48.1

3. Jordan Addison: 49.9

4. Blake Brandel: 52.6

5. Brian O’Neill: 59.4

I’m not concerned about Jennings, Addison, or O’Neill. I am definitely concerned about Fries and Brandel.

Vikings defensive snaps vs. Packers (out of 68)

• S Josh Metellus: 68

• CB Isaiah Rodgers: 68

• CB Byron Murphy Jr: 67

• LB Eric Wilson: 67

• LB Blake Cashman: 65

• OLB Dallas Turner: 56

• OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 55

• DL Jalen Redmond: 51

• S Theo Jackson: 43

• DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins: 42

• DL Levi Drake Rodriguez: 34

• S Harrison Smith: 26

• OLB Kyle Van Noy: 25

• CB James Pierre: 23

• DT Domonique Orange: 22

• DT Caleb Banks: 16

• S Jacob Thomas: 10

• LB Ivan Pace Jr: 10

That’s 18 players who saw the field for the Vikings in a game where they just kept blitzing and blitzing and blitzing, even when it wasn’t working at first. Smith only played 38 percent of the snaps in his first game of year 15, but that number figures to climb in the coming weeks. Van Noy was right behind him and could also gradually see more action.

Pierre was sixth among Vikings DBs in snaps, but he played well and could perhaps see more time than Jackson against certain opponents. Three Vikings rookies saw the field, including UDFA safety Jacob Thomas. Second-rounder Jake Golday and fifth-rounder Chuck Demmings were not among them. Pace got the nod as the third inside linebacker over Golday, playing a handful of snaps.

Top 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Dallas Turner: 89.5

2. Blake Cashman: 83.9

3. Levi Drake Rodriguez: 81.9

4. James Pierre: 78.3

5. Andrew Van Ginkel: 73.6

Ingram-Dawkins, Redmond, Rodgers, and Van Noy also graded well. The star of the day on defense was Turner, who had a whopping nine pressures and seven quarterback hits to go with his strip-sack. Cashman was also extremely active (6 pressures). Rodriguez had a sack, Pierre had a pick, and Van Ginkel had 1.5 sacks and a forced and recovered fumble.

Bottom 5

1. Eric Wilson: 29.6

2. Josh Metellus: 29.6

3. Theo Jackson: 36.6

4. Domonique Orange: 47.6

5. Harrison Smith: 48.0

Caleb Banks also earned a poor 33.7 grade but was under the 20-snap threshold. Wilson was dinged for two missed tackles and poor coverage. Metellus and Jackson were also crushed in their coverage grades. That has been a weakness of Metellus’s game for a few years now.