For the last few months, Minnesota Vikings fans everywhere have been waiting for the team to address its cornerback situation. Was the combination of Byron Murphy, Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, and Mekhi Blackmon enough to get through a season? Nah, something has to happen, right?
The something that happened, however, was Minnesota trading Blackmon to the Indianapolis Colts. Fabian Moreau, who performed spot duty last year, got signed to the practice squad. And, as of 4 p.m. on the Friday before the Vikings’ opening kickoff, that’s it.
But, no, seriously. Something has to happen? Right?
Right?
Maybe not. Perhaps the Vikings have that much trust in their group. Or maybe they just assume that by the time quarterbacks are gearing up to exploit the secondary, Jonathan Greenard and Allen will be on top of them. Minnesota sure has the kind of front seven that can hide a secondary’s flaws.
Unless the Vikings make a move at the 11th-and-a-half hour, we’ll start finding out on Monday night. The Chicago Bears haven’t exactly been an aerial juggernaut — they’ve finished 27th or lower in passing yards in every season since 2020. Still, they might have what it takes to put Minnesota’s defense to the test, at least at Soldier Field.
After all, that’s exactly what happened in Week 12 of last year. Caleb Williams aired it out 47 times (32 completions) for 340 yards and two touchdowns. D.J. Moore racked up 106 yards, though 86 of them came after the catch, while Keenan Allen hauled in nine catches for 86 yards himself. The Vikings escaped with a win, just barely.
Allen bounced to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, but Chicago’s passing game is arguably scarier in 2025. Williams is in his second season and now working under Ben Johnson, the former Detroit Lions coordinator who knows a thing or two about slicing and dicing Vikings secondaries. Rome Odunze is also a sophomore, and he’ll be looking to take a step toward superstardom after a 734-yard rookie season. Also, 2025 first-round pick Luther Burden III brings speed and great hands to the table.
It’s an ideal Week 1 test for Minnesota’s cornerbacks. Even if you’re not fully buying into Chicago’s Triforce of Hype surrounding Johnson/Williams/Odunze, you have to admit that there’s enough talent there to exploit the secondary. At the same time, they’re not so good that if they go off, you simply have to tip your cap, throw out the results, and move on. A Super Bowl-worthy secondary should be able to keep them in check.
If they can’t, it’s going to be a good, early sign that Minnesota had better start looking for someone, because it’s not getting any easier.
Here’s every Vikings opponent in 2025, followed by their receivers who ranked on PFF’s recent Top-32 list:
Week 1 (@CHI): D.J. Moore (20th)
Week 2 (ATL): Drake London (11th)
Week 3 (CIN): Ja’Marr Chase (third), Tee Higgins (14th)
Week 4 (@PIT): D.K. Metcalf (23rd)
Week 5 (@CLE): None
BYE
Week 7 (PHI): A.J. Brown (first), DeVonta Smith (17th)
Week 8 (@LAC): Ladd McConkey (22nd)
Week 9 (@DET): Amon-Ra St. Brown (fourth), Jameson Williams (32nd)
Week 10 (BAL): Zay Flowers (25th)
Week 11 (CHI): Moore
Week 12 (@GB): None
Week 13 (@SEA): Jaxon Smith-Njigba (27th)
Week 14 (WSH): Terry McLaurin (10th)
Week 15 (@DAL): CeeDee Lamb (sixth)
Week 16 (@NYG): Malik Nabers (12th)
Week 17 (DET): St. Brown, Williams
Week 18 (GB): None
It’s not just that Minnesota is facing 18 top receivers in 17 weeks. NFL teams would average one of those top-32 names, so the number they’re facing? It sounds about right. But the quality of names is especially frightening. They’re going up against eight of the top 14, and that doesn’t even account for seeing St. Brown twice.
Perhaps you can argue that the Vikings have until the bye week to do something. The Cincinnati Bengals are a nightmare matchup, but it’s Joe Burrow throwing to Chase and Higgins. Trading for Patrick Surtain II probably isn’t helping much with that. Moore, London, and Metcalf all have either second-year (Williams, Michael Penix Jr.) or quadragenarian (Aaron Rodgers) quarterbacks throwing to them, so that might ease the pressure on the secondary a bit.
But they’re not going to have much more leeway to act than that, only increasing the importance of Week 1. If Moore, Odunze, and Burden look great on Monday, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has to be decisive in addressing the corners. As good as their front seven might be, the Vikings can’t afford to be wrong about their last line of defense.