Vikings PFF grades: Best and worst from week 2 vs Eagles

The Vikings ultimately got destroyed by the Philadelphia Eagles 24-7. In the game, there weren’t a whole lot of positives that came out of the game but the PFF grades show a little bit of a different side.

While the grades weren’t great, there were some positives from Monday night’s game when it came to individual performances.

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Here are the best and worst grades from PFF.

Top 3 offense

Oct 10, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill (75) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

• Brian O’Neill 73.3
• Ben Ellefson 68.1
• Justin Jefferson 63.3

No surprise that the Vikings most consistent offensive player graded the best. He only got beaten a couple of times around the edge and was a really good player. Ellefson played only three snaps so it’s a little tough but Jefferson was still relatively solid despite an up-and-down game.

Bottom 3 offense

Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) on the sidelines against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

• Dalvin Cook 48.4
• Ed Ingram 49.5
• Kirk Cousins 53.3

The offense was putrid on Monday night. With only 264 yards total, it’s no surprise that the grades were low. Cook didn’t look like his normal self. He didn’t seem explosive or broke tackles. Ingram was more consistent in the passing game but there are still issues that need to work out. Cousins’ issues have been well documented and the coaching staff needs to get it fixed quickly.

Top 3 defense

Aug 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Za’Darius Smith (55) looks on prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

• Za’Darius Smith 78.3
• Cameron Dantzler 69.8
• Akayleb Evans 66.0

Smith was a consistent player in getting pressure on the quarterback and working to keep contain. Dantzler is a little bit of a surprise as there was some contention if he blew the coverage that allowed Quez Watkins to score. He did find himself in great position on a couple of incompletions from Hurts. Seeing Evans graded so high is a nice surprise. A fourth-round pick out of Missouri, O’Connell seemed determined to get Evans some real playing time and he only allowed two catches for 14 yards on his 10 coverage snaps.

Bottom 3 defense

Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scores on a 26-yard touchdown run against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson (7) and safety Camryn Bynum (24) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

• Ross Blacklock 32.2
• Jordan Hicks 33.5
• Camryn Bynum 35.9

Blacklock’s grade is off of only five snaps but still not the best showing for him. Even with the interception, Hicks was not great in identifying the running game and was even worse in the passing game. Bynum was making poor reads all night and was credited/blamed with the Watkins touchdown and allowed a perfect passer rating on his three targets.

Other notables

Oct 24, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (56) looks on before the start of a game against the Washington Redskins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

• Garrett Bradbury 60.5
• Irv Smith Jr. 60.5
• Ezra Cleveland 53.4
• Patrick Peterson 63.5
• Harrison Smith 41.1