Accept certain undeniable truths. Jordan Love will probably be good for the next decade. Harrison Smith will retire at the end of this year. And, unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings’ defense has regressed.
While the overall numbers don’t appear too shabby, the Vikings are falling short in a crucial area where they led the league just a season ago.
The Vikings led the NFL in takeaways in 2024 with 33. Not only that, but they were the only team in the league to force at least one turnover in every game. That hasn’t been the case in 2025, as the Vikings have now failed to force a turnover for three consecutive games.
Despite having a respectable seven takeaways on the year, five of them came in the wild Cincinnati Bengals game against a quarterback who lost his job to a 41-year-old, and another was on the Chicago Bears’ final desperate hook-and-ladder play. In the Vikings’ four other games this season, they have one single fumble recovery and zero interceptions.
While it may have been foolish to think that the Vikings could replicate their league-best 24 interceptions from last season, the lack of big plays on defense is becoming a problem. They haven’t snagged an interception outside of the Bengals game, and splash plays in general just haven’t been there. For the third week in a row, the Vikings have lost the turnover battle, and it’s reflected in their 1-2 record. The defense hasn’t been terrible in that stretch – well, alright, Jalen Hurts was quite literally perfect last week – but over those three games, the Minnesota defense only allowed an average of 21 points per game.
The problem really lies with their inability to force the big mistake and regain possession for the struggling offense. The Vikings are well aware that a good defense can complement a good offense. Last year, they had more points off turnovers than any other team, including the Philadelphia Eagles. But the takeaways just aren’t coming this year. Outside of a generational performance from Isaiah Rodgers in Week 3, Minnesota has yet to stuff the stat sheet on defense. Brian Flores, known for his chaotic and aggressive schemes, has yet to unlock that part of the game this season like he did a year ago.
Luckily for the Vikings, a duo of players who combined for a total of 11 interceptions and forced fumbles in 2024 is still on the roster. Byron Murphy Jr. and Jonathan Greenard wreaked havoc last season. Still, neither has nabbed a takeaway so far this year. Not to mention Andrew Van Ginkel, the pick-six machine, who has been injured for most of the year. Still, the Vikings are third-best at generating pressure this season, so the mistakes and turnovers should theoretically be flowing, right?
Well, maybe not. The Vikings are still allowing 68% of passes thrown to be completed. And although their 16 sacks are impressive on paper, once again, the Cincinnati game alone accounts for 25% of them. Luck can play a major factor at times with a bounce here and a tip there, but the Vikings haven’t really been in a position to create those types of plays, as they rank 31st in passes defended. Whatever X-factor the Vikings had last year to create all those turnovers seems to be mostly gone.
The Los Angeles Chargers come into Thursday night’s game with the third-most turnovers in the NFL and an opportunity for the Vikings to turn their luck around. While Justin Herbert threw only three interceptions last season, he’s already thrown six this year, including two last week against the Indianapolis Colts. That’s enticing for sure, but Herbert did throw for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the last matchup from 2023. But, hey, new year, new team.
Herbert has also taken 20 sacks so far this season, which is fifth most in the league, and may be without a few key starters on the offensive line. Greenard has just one sack on the year, and it feels like he’s due for a breakout soon. His four forced fumbles in 2024 tied for the third-most in the league, and, much like his sack production, he’s sitting on just one forced fumble this year. It’s a perfect chance for this defense to right the ship and get back to the old ways of what made this team so dominant on its way to 14 wins last season. However, whether the Vikings take advantage is another story.
The Minnesota defense really hasn’t been all that bad, considering the offense is constantly putting them in less-than-ideal situations. Still, the lack of splash plays has been a glaring issue, and it’s a big reason why the Vikings are losing very winnable games. The Chargers’ latest string of giveaways presents a good opportunity for Minnesota to prove that this defense is every bit as good as it was before.