Among the many reasons I could never be a professional athlete (weak genetics, lack of work ethic, my general disdain for exercise), I just don’t think I’m petty enough.
It takes a lot of effort to stay constantly motivated to be the absolute best as an athlete. Some athletes treat having a chip on their shoulder like it’s part of their uniform. We’ve seen countless examples of athletes seeking any perceived slight or disrespect to fuel their game like coal in a furnace.
In the past decade or so, sports media have really embraced the idea of the “revenge game,” a matchup between a player and his former team. Nowadays, I often see online posts discussing the revenge-game angle, even in fairly amicable divorces between a team and a player. Sometimes, the hype surrounding a revenge game fails to live up to expectations.
Sometimes, though, it can add extra juice to a matchup, especially when the player feels genuinely slighted.
Lol don't believe the media. See yall Sunday😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/GuAlniGXmQ
— Isaiah Rodgers Sr. (@rodgers_isaiah) October 16, 2025
Whether or not there’s any truth to this when Rodgers faces his former team this Sunday, he’s going to play an essential role. Rogers and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary holding up in their one-on-ones will be crucial to keeping Philadelphia’s passing game out of sync. However, getting the run defense back on track is also a priority.
Isaiah Rodgers has been a revelation for the Vikings. Minnesota’s cornerback situation looked shaky outside of veteran Byron Murphy Jr. at the start of the season. Many, including myself, felt like corner was one of the biggest holes on the roster. Rodgers and Jeff Okudah were their only notable acquisitions at the position, and both came with question marks.
Isaiah Rodgers had never been thrust into such a large role before in the NFL, and Okudah was a complete reclamation project. Both have turned out to be good investments, but Rodgers especially has shattered all expectations.
He’s fast, sticky in coverage, and has a knack for attacking the football. It’s still a relatively small sample size so early in the year, but he seems to be playing at a level that makes him one of the most impactful players on the defense. He’s also been a perfect fit for Brian Flores in his willingness to attack the ball for the big play. Some corners play conservatively when they’re left one-on-one behind a blitz; Rodgers plays like there’s blood in the water.
Watching back the Eagles/Giants game, this play feels like it has Isaiah Rodgers written all over it. Only difference is nobody would catch him. https://t.co/tT1MkRu51k
— Nelson Thielen (@NelsonThielen) October 16, 2025
The pass defense from Minnesota’s secondary has been a pleasant surprise, especially given Cam Bynum‘s departure and Harrison Smith‘s health status. Rogers and Murphy have led the way. It’s kept this unit afloat while they’ve played like one of the leakier run defenses in football.
The Vikings are sixth in total defense, largely because of their success in pass defense and third-down defense (ranked second in both categories). That’s all very impressive, just as long as you disregard the bottom-third-ranked rushing defense (24th) and their 132.2 rushing yards allowed per game. That’s a massive drop off from their second-ranked rushing defense in 2024. And that’s without a daunting schedule of rushing offenses thus far, outside of the Week 2 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The loss of Blake Cashman to injury and Harrison Phillips via offseason trade have been huge blows to this front seven against the run. Ivan Pace Jr. and Eric Wilson are both undersized gap shooters who have been playing guessing games against the run since Cashman went out, oftentimes playing the wrong gaps or missing tacklers trying to get around blockers they’re incapable of powering through. Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen have also been a boon on passing downs, creating interior pressure. Still, teams have put them on roller skates on most rushing plays.
Flores has had to get by hoping that teams will eventually lose their patience running the football and create opportunities to fall behind the chains against this secondary. But when we’ve seen teams disciplined enough to keep pounding the rock, they’ve had success. Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier tandem pummeled Minnesota for 218 yards, and a one-dimensional Browns offense still managed 140 yards rushing, led by Quinshon Judkins. If that doesn’t give you confidence in their ability to stop Saquon Barkley, I don’t blame you.
This will be another week where there will be opportunities for the #Eagles to get the run game going. The #Vikings have given up the ninth-most 10+ yard runs (21) despite having the the ninth-highest stacked box percentage (26.5%) against the run. OZ and cutbacks lanes have… pic.twitter.com/6Ek12cjEFT
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) October 15, 2025
Philadelphia’s rushing attack hasn’t been as lethal as it was on its way to a Super Bowl last season, but we’re still talking about elite pieces. Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts are a lethal running combination, and they’re a team that will stay patient with the run if they find success. They’re also getting star lineman Landon Dickerson back in the lineup this week, which could really bolster their attack.
That’s why, in a weird way, I think Rodgers and the pass defense can have a big impact on this game. If they play well, it will allow the Vikings to allocate resources to stopping the run.
Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace, Eric Wilson, Josh Metellus, and Harrison Smith are all likely to spend most of their afternoon loading up in the box to contain Philadelphia’s running game. Increased reps for Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez will likely bolster Minnesota’s run defense up front as this team tries to bulk up in the middle. That means that the Eagles’ pair of star receivers, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, will likely have their opportunities in one-on-one situations.
Rodgers not only holding his own in those matchups, but also winning and making plays in them, will tip the scales in the passing game and also free up Flores to throw bodies at this running game. Clearly, Minnesota’s defensive personnel is not built to consistently stack and shed against elite rushing teams. So, they’re going to need to overwhelm them, and dare Jalen Hurts the passer to take chances and beat them through the air.
I’m not necessarily suggesting that they’ll be in Cover 0 all afternoon. But on first and second down, I would expect the safeties to have their eyes in the backfield, ready to trigger. Rodgers and Murphy will need to be ready to play without consistent help over the top, or simply watch from the secondary as they get slammed up the middle by this Eagles’ attack.
Philly has been dysfunctional enough this season; the last thing Minnesota needs is for their rushing attack to have a get-right game against them. Instead, this could be an opportunity for the Vikings to reassert themselves a bit with Cashman re-entering the lineup and a limited passing game allowing them to load the box.
We’re used to games being about establishing the run to set up the pass on offense. This defense has worked in the inverse, to shut down the pass and invite the opposing offense to run the ball. Well, now they’re taking on a team that welcomes that style of play, and it’s time to put these corners to the test while they truly sell out to stop the run.
I hope Isaiah Rodgers finds that chip on his shoulder and shows Howie Roseman what a mistake it was to let him out of the building. His job is going to be a lot harder on Sunday, and it’s his opportunity to shoulder more of the load so his team can take care of business.