MN Vikings Cornerback Posts Impossible PFF Grade in Historic Performance

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Isaiah Rodgers : Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings took the Cincinnati Bengals behind the woodshed at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon and… beat the living stripes off of them, 48-10, in front of 70,000 relieved fans in downtown Minneapolis.

There were a lot of positive takeaways from the Vikings’ week 3 victory, many of which came on defense. Brian Flores’ squad scored two of Minnesota’s six touchdowns on Sunday afternoon. Both were housed by recently acquired cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.

Minnesota Vikings CB Isaiah Rodgers goes off vs Bengals

Not only did the 27-year-old former Eagle/Colt return an interception and fumble for two scores against the Bengals, but he was responsible for FOUR total takeaways (1 INT, 3 FF), two passes defensed and 3 tackles, easily taking home the MN Vikings’ MVP Award for week 3.

The Minnesota Vikings made Isaiah Rodgers their first unofficial signing of the free agent negotiating period, back in March, making clear his priority both with their hastiness and financial investment.

For much of the offseason, that move — along with the Vikings’ refusal to add more starting talent around him and Byron Murphy Jr — has been widely criticized by fans and media alike. Prior to this season, Rodgers had only started 15 of the 62 NFL games he had played in, hardly proving himself as a legitimate CB2.

Even with the barrage of media questions publicly and behind the scenes, Vikings leadership never looked back after landing Rodgers, instead using their time and cap space throughout the offseason to build up other weaknesses on the roster. On Sunday, that stubbornness paid off in dividends.

Rodgers sets new PFF benchmark with insane performance

On Sunday, the UMass alum was breaking all sorts of records. First, Rodgers became the first Viking to ever score two defensive touchdowns in one game, a feat that helped him become the first NFL player in the Pro Football Focus era to post a perfect 99.9 in-game overall PFF grade (99.4 coverage grade).

Just like last season, Brian Flores and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have proven that we should not doubt them when they target an underwhelming talent in free agency.

Last year, it was Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman. In 2025, signing Isaiah Rodgers at the bargain rate of 5.5 million per year (two years) has once again proven them smarter than their peers.

Returning Minnesota Vikings veterans provide boost in win

Speaking of veteran defenders, the MN Vikings were noticeably better with theirs back in the mix Sunday. Harrison Smith and Van Ginkel were able to ease themselves back in, a practice we saw with the return of Christian Darrisaw, on the offensive side.

Darrisaw’s return was a triumphant success. It didn’t take a lot of reps for him to regain form, doing his part to hold All-Pro Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to just 1 tackle, 0 sacks and 0 pressures (42 snaps) — but he also got plenty of rest, playing just 38 of the MN Vikings’ 58 snaps offensively.

Smith played just 22 snaps, Van Ginkel just 8. But the ladder made them worth his while, wrapping up Jake Browning for 2 sacks, and adding one more QB hit for good measure. But as proven above, the star of Sunday’s defensive show was Isaiah Rodgers.

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