Vikings’ biggest nightmare on defense got painfully real in Week 1
Of all the offseason moves made by the Minnesota Vikings — and there were a lot of them — the team’s new-look cornerback group was easily the most concerning among fans.
As fun as Monday night’s fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears was, Week 1 wasn’t exactly a hot start for defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ secondary.
According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, the Vikings ranked dead-last among the NFL’s 32 teams in coverage, earning an overall grade of 40.2.
One of the biggest culprits was Bryon Murphy Jr., who, per PFF, was cooked for five receptions, 64 yards, and a touchdown; Bears QB Caleb Williams had a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting Minnesota’s top cornerback.
It’s important not to read too much into that. Murphy, for example, was charged with Rome Odunze’s touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter — but the real credit goes to Ben Johnson for scheming up a wide-open Luther Burden in the flat; Murphy was left in no man’s land on that play.
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025
With that said, Murphy’s at his best when deployed as a chess piece in Flores’ scheme, evidenced by his Pro Bowl season in 2024. We saw less of that usage in the season opener.
The Vikings played a ton of zone — they only played man coverage on six of their 47 coverage snaps, per PFF’s Bradley Locker — and as a result, Murphy lined up as a true outside cornerback on 50 of his 67 total defensive snaps, his most since Week 12 of 2023.
That’s never really been Murphy’s game. He lined up outside on just 60.5 percent of his snaps last season; the others were spent covering the slot (29%) or other areas around the line of scrimmage.
It’s entirely possible that Monday’s game plan was specific to stopping Johnson’s exotic offense. We’ll find out soon enough, though, if Minnesota’s lack of a true No. 1 corner will haunt this 2025 season, as fans feared.
Minnesota Vikings shaky CB situation will be tested in Week 2 by Drake London and the Atlanta Falcons
The Vikings’ Week 2 home opener against the Atlanta Falcons offers some intriguing matchups, especially in pass coverage.
QB Michael Penix has an array of weapons at his disposal, with No. 1 wide receiver Drake London at the fore. London was peppered with targets in Atlanta’s tight loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, and how Minnesota goes about covering him in this game will be telling.
With No. 3 cornerback Jeff Okudah working through the NFL’s concussion protocol — he was spotted at practice in a red non-contact jersey on Friday, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune — the Vikings could be shorthanded in the secondary.
That’s not to mention other key injuries on defense, like star middle linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring) and All-Pro edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (concussion). Obviously, that’s less than ideal against a dangerous Falcons offense that also features versatile running back Bijan Robinson and athletic freak tight end Kyle Pitts, among others.
This will be another chess-match game for Flores, only he’ll be down some major pieces from the jump. It feels like your quintessential blitz-heavy, man-to-man, get after the QB type of week for the Vikings, facing a quarterback making his fifth career NFL start.
But Minnesota would need to trust its cover guys to make a plan like that work. As it stands, the concerns fans felt over a shaky cornerback room led by Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern are very much justified.
The Vikings' biggest red flag is waving vigorously entering Week 2 at The Bank.
Cam Newton Holds Chris Jones Accountable for Critical Mistake in Chiefs’ Loss to Chargers
After an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX, the Kansas City Chiefs seemed destined for a statement win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil. Patrick Mahomes was boasting a 6-1 career record in Week 1 contests, the Chiefs were listed as the betting favorites, and even the public seemed to agree with that, as the majority of the handle was on Kansas City that Friday night.
Unfortunately for many, including Mahomes, Justin Herbert had other plans. The now-six-year veteran torched the Chiefs’ defense for 318 passing yards and three touchdowns, and even took advantage of Chris Jones’ mistakes to seal the game with a picture-perfect 19-yard scramble.
According to Cam Newton, that’s a mistake that Jones needs to atone for. “Sometimes, trying to make a play can mess up the play,” the former Carolina Panther explained during the
“But what are you going to tell Chris Jones? Not to make a play? …I don’t care who it is, Hall of Famer or no famer, you messed up the play. It’s simple. You hear coaches talk about it all the time, do your job… Instead of Chris Jones going outside, which he would contain, he goes inside which gives Justin Herbert the opportunity to scramble for 19 yards and close out the game
Even though he’s a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Jones proved that he’s still susceptible to human error. In the eyes of Newton, it’s a teachable moment for up-and-coming players, as it serves as a reminder to not let “
Of course, that’s not to say that there isn’t a bit of nuance to knowing when and where to call your shot.
“That’s what we call a ‘Be Right’ situation. If you decide to go inside, you better be right. So, Chris Jones, Hall of Fame type of defensive end… He’s what we call a wrecker, but he messed up the play
Nevertheless, Jones will have to quickly put that mistake behind him, as he and the rest of the Chiefs are preparing for a Super Bowl rematch against the very same Eagles team that decimated them just seven months ago. Should Kansas City hope to avoid reliving the same nightmare again, then they’ll certainly need Jones to be in top form.
Throughout the 44 snaps that he played in the Super Bowl, Jones was able to produce just one hit on the quarterback all night, and he failed to officially record a single tackle in the contest. Of all the Kansas City veterans who struggled that day, Jones’ performance, or lack thereof, was one of the more notable ones.
For better or worse, however, he’ll get what may be his final crack at Philadelphia this Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, while Mahomes will attempt to avoid the first 0-2 regular season start of his career.
