Isaiah Rodgers' record-setting game sets tone for Vikings' defensive dominance
Veteran cornerback shows why defensive coordinator Brian Flores wanted him in free agency.
The defense wasn’t why the Vikings lost their home opener last Sunday night to the Atlanta Falcons, but the unit also did not come close to meeting expectations. Atlanta went 1-for-5 in the red zone — the Falcons didn’t get a touchdown until the fourth quarter of their 22-6 victory — but the visitors rushed for 218 yards on 39 attempts (5.6 yards per carry), including 143 yards from running back Bijan Robinson.
That was the most yards the Vikings surrendered on the ground since the Philadelphia Eagles had 259 yards on 48 carries (5.4) in Week 3 of the 2023 season. That was only the second game for Brian Flores with the Vikings.
Flores, now in his third season as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, wanted to see a more complete performance on Sunday against Cincinnati. He got that, and then some. The Vikings held the Bengals to 171 yards, including only 53 on the ground, forced five turnovers and accounted for two touchdowns in a 48-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Both were scored by cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who returned an interception of a Jake Browning pass 87 yards in the first quarter and then forced a fumble by tight end Noah Fant and returned it 66 yards in the second quarter. Rodgers forced another fumble by Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase on the Bengals’ ensuing possession. The Vikings turned that into a 5-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mason to take a 28-point lead.
Rodgers became the first player in NFL history to score two defensive touchdowns and force two fumbles in a game, according to the Vikings.
The Bengals were without star quarterback Joe Burrow, who suffered a turf toe injury last week against Jacksonville and underwent surgery on Friday. He reportedly is expected to miss a minimum of three months.
The step down from Burrow to Browning, a former member of the Vikings’ practice squad, is far greater than what the Vikings faced by having veteran backup Carson Wentz replace the injured J.J. McCarthy. The Bengals also entered the game last in the NFL in rushing, averaging 49 yards per game.
Still, the Vikings needed a game like this after a having to rally in the fourth quarter to beat the Chicago Bears by three points in Week 1 and then putting on a listless performance against the Falcons.
There were plenty of notable performances from the Vikings’ defense. Safety Theo Jackson, defensive lineman Jalen Redmond and linebacker Eric Wilson forced fumbles, and Jonathan Allen and Jeff Okudah recovered two of them.
But Rodgers deserved the headlines.
The 27-year-old left the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in March to sign a two-year, $15 million contract in Minnesota. Rodgers had started only three of the 15 games in which he appeared with the Eagles during his lone season in Philadelphia. He broke up four passes and forced a fumble in the regular season, and then had three more pass breakups and recovered a fumble in four postseason games.
Flores, who has followed Rodgers since he played college football at Massachusetts, told coach Kevin O’Connell that Rodgers would be an excellent fit for the Vikings’ scheme.
One of the primary topics of the Vikings’ offseason was the state of the cornerback position. Rodgers was signed to start opposite Byron Murphy Jr., who was retained on a three-year, $66 million contract. Free agent Jeff Okudah was added to play in the nickel defense.