Before Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner had never had more than one quarterback hit or more than one tackle for loss in an NFL game.
In the Vikings’ 19-17 loss to the Bears, Turner had three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss, along with seven tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. Turner equaled his career high for tackles established in a 21-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5.
“It’s regular to perform at a high standard here,” Turner said. “So just having (defensive coordinator Brian Flores) in our ears all the time telling us about the standard is always being the standard. Being a Minnesota Viking, the standard is always high, and every single day we walk into this building trying to fulfill that high standard. So I feel like that’s just the mindset going into each day and then leading into Sundays when it’s time to execute.”
The best game of Turner’s 27 in the NFL came in his sixth start. With Jonathan Greenard sidelined by a shoulder injury, Turner stepped into the Minnesota lineup against Chicago.
Turner joined the Vikings from Alabama as the 17th selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Minnesota already had Pro Bowl outside linebackers Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Turner played 28 percent of the Vikings’ defensive snaps and recorded three snaps as a rookie.
Van Ginkel missed five games earlier this season with a neck injury, providing the opening for Turner to make his first NFL starts. Turner played every defensive snap for the first time in his career in a 24-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 28 and reached a career-high 65 defensive snaps the next week against the Browns.
Turner surpassed that with 67 snaps against Chicago in his first start in Greenard’s place. Minnesota has listed Greenard as questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. He returned to practice on Thursday, but only as a limited participant.
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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Minnesota is looking for improved consistency and continued growth from Turner in the second half of his second NFL season.
“I think you’ve seen some real flashes of pass rush, his explosiveness,” O’Connell said. “I think the every-down consistency -- you earn those ops to rush the quarterback by the job you do on the early downs. The physicality, setting edges, playing your role as an edge player in our defense is very important to stopping the run.
“And then I think from a pass-rush standpoint, the NFL is not just about your go-to move every time. It’s about having that go-to move as a rusher, whether it’s speed-to-bull, whether it’s a long arm, whether it’s a club-and-rip, whatever it is that those guys -- and they’ve got every name and move known to man. But you got to figure out what your fastball is. And much like when a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball wants to transition to become a starter, you can’t just throw two pitches. You need to have the fastball and then you need to have your counters off of that. When you’re playing Lane Johnson or you’re playing some of these high-end tackles, they’re repping all week your counter moves because they’re that confident in stopping the initial rush and you’ve got to be able to pair it together with limited thinking and playing fast and explosive, because that’s what Dallas Turner is, and he’s got it all in his body. It’s just putting it all together. …
“As things ramp up and the best in the world take the field at what they do in the National Football League, there’s constant chase of improvement, and Dallas Turner keeps doing that. He’s doing a great job and growing every single opportunity he gets out there.”
Turner said O’Connell is “definitely not lying” about the need for pass-rush versatility.
“I feel like you have to have different fastballs going into it each week,” Turner said, “because the more and more you put stuff like that on tape, like, the more and more your game has to grow and just also anticipating that other people are anticipating what you’re doing already.”
After posting a 14-3 regular-season record in Turner’s rookie campaign, the Vikings are 4-6 and at the bottom of the NFC North standings with seven games remaining on their 2025 schedule.
Minnesota’s opportunity to get off the mat after back-to-back losses comes against the Green Bay Packers at noon CST Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers have a 6-3-1 record.
Sunday’s game will be the 130th between Minnesota and Green Bay, tying the Packers with the Bears for the Vikings’ most-played opponent. Green Bay leads the series 66-60-3.
“You kind of feel some of the same feelings,” Turner said, comparing the Vikings-Packers rivalry to the college rivalries he experience at Alabama. “The Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings definitely do have a deep rivalry, and I kind of didn’t really realize it until I came here. I always would hear about it, you know, these two very old organizations, very monumental organizations up north. Embracing that rivalry and just making it part of my career, it’s going to be fun.”
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