Most of the optimism and hype surrounding the 2025 Minnesota Vikings centered on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy and whether he could handle the responsibility of leading the team. The Vikings had moved on from Sam Darnold, who led the team to a 14-3 record in 2024 before playing his worst football in Week 18 and the playoffs.
Still, McCarthy’s development and performance weren’t the only roster developments the Vikings were counting on in 2025. They also needed their interior pass rush to step up and complement edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for 23.5 of Minnesota’s 48 total sacks in 2024.
The interior pass rush didn’t generate much production in 2024, leading Brian Flores to lean on his exotic blitz looks. Flores’ defenses always have one of the highest blitz rates in the league, but the 2024 Vikings left him little choice but to blitz due to the ineffectiveness of his interior defensive linemen.
None of the interior linemen generated a quarterback pressure rate over 5.5%, and altogether the group generated only 44 pressures all season. For context, Greenard had 69 pressures alone, and Van Ginkel had 50.
Knowing that they needed a requisite interior rush to counter well-coached offenses that attacked the voids left by blitzers, the Vikings signed veteran defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen in the first week of free agency. Both players were coming off injuries in the 2024 season, but each was among the best interior pass rushers in the league.
Hargrave’s 14.3 pressure percentage since 2021 was the highest among all interior rushers. Allen, meanwhile, had generated at least 40 pressures in each season from 2018 to 2023. If they were able to return from their injuries, they could provide an instant boost to the defense, giving it the kind of flexibility it had lacked in two seasons under Flores.
Much was made about McCarthy’s three-touchdown performance in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s victory over the Chicago Bears. But the opportunity was made possible by a defense that flustered Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, holding Chicago to only 10 offensive points in the first three quarters (McCarthy threw a pick-six in the third quarter). And unlike the 2024 season, it was the interior pass rush leading the charge.
Allen and Hargrave each had six pressures on Williams, both leading the team as they accounted for 12 of Minnesota’s 26 total pressures. To Williams’ credit, he was able to avoid getting sacked most of the night, only being taken down twice, both by Hargrave. But the six pressures apiece were tied for the ninth-highest number in the entire league among all pass rushers.
But that didn’t mean the Vikings didn’t get any pressure from their edge room. Greenard ranked third on the team with four sacks, narrowly missing an opportunity to bring Williams down early in the game before the Bears quarterback juked him.
Van Ginkel appeared to have Williams in the fourth quarter, but once again, the second-year quarterback was able to escape the sack. Ultimately, Williams stepped out of bounds while attempting to throw the ball away on the play, but his ability to get out of initial danger was on display.
Even Allen had multiple opportunities where it looked like he was going to bring Williams down. On one play, he blew up the pocket, but Williams stepped up and ran for a first down. Later, Allen had Williams in his grasp on third down. However, the quarterback escaped again, ultimately failing to pick up a first down on the play.
As it usually is, it was frustrating watching a quarterback scramble out of harm’s way. He ran six times for 58 yards, including a touchdown run on the opening drive, where he broke the pocket.
The good news for the Vikings is that they showed an ability to pressure the quarterback, and they won’t face many quarterbacks with Williams’ mobility too often this season.
So Vikings defenders have to be thrilled to know they face Michael Penix Jr. when the Atlanta Falcons come to town this Sunday night. Penix, the eighth pick in the 2024 draft, is set to make only his fifth NFL start. And while he can move around if he has to, he isn’t known for highlight scrambles and improvisation like Williams. In six game appearances and four starts, Penix has run 13 times for 32 yards and two touchdowns.
Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Penix was pressured on 20 of his 46 dropbacks, a 43.5% pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats. To compare, the Vikings pressured Williams on 34.9% of his dropbacks in Week 1.
No one generated more pressure for the Buccaneers than edge rusher Hasson Reddick, who had seven pressures, including three that came under 2.5 seconds. He also recorded a sack, and most of his production came against Falcons right tackle Elijah Wilkinson. Reddick’s seven pressures were the fifth-most in the league among all pass rushers.
Tampa Bay’s top interior defensive linemen, Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, generated five combined pressures on Penix. Vea had a 10% pressure rate, while Kancey had a 6.3% rate.
That could mean that Minnesota’s pass rush could once again have a disruptive night. Greenard primarily lines up over the left tackle, but Flores could switch that up and line him up on the other side because Van Ginkel is in concussion protocol. But that could also mean that Dallas Turner, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, could step up in a big spot and take advantage of the overmatched Wilkinson at right tackle.
Allen and Hargrave could be in for another big game. PFF credited Atlanta’s three interior offensive linemen with seven of the 17 pressures allowed in pass-protection. Center Ryan Neuzil was the unit’s lowest-graded pass protector, receiving a 49.3 grade.
One final advantage for Minnesota’s defensive line in Sunday’s matchup? They play at home on Sunday Night Football. That gives the fans at U.S. Bank Stadium even more reason to be amped up and loud.
And, because it’s at U.S. Bank Stadium, both teams have the benefit of playing on a field surface that won’t be getting patched hours before the game. Soldier Field’s turf is always laughably bad, but it was especially poor before last Monday’s game after recently hosting several concerts.
With the good surface and the Falcons likely having to play with a silent count, Minnesota’s defensive line should be able to create pressure off the snap even faster than they did against the Bears. That could mean an extra pressure or two throughout the night. It could also mean the difference between the quarterback evading several sacks or taking sacks.
The Vikings had a good pass rush in 2024 despite weaknesses on their defensive line. Not only have they masked those weaknesses, but their interior pass rush may have caught up to their edge rushers. They made Caleb Williams’ first game of the season a nightmare. It appears that they have the recipe to do the same with Michael Penix.