The Minnesota Vikings defense was one of the stars in the team’s thrilling come-from-behind 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. After a challenging start in which the defense gave up 19 points in the first half, the second half told a completely different story.
Minnesota’s defense only gave up three points in the second half, while the offense exploded for 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. As a result, the Vikings’ defense kept the Packers offense from doing anything in the second half, letting Minnesota pull away and win by double digits.
One of the star performers on the Vikings’ defense was Dallas Turner, who showed that he can fill the void left by Jonathan Greenard after the veteran pass rusher was traded this past offseason.
Against the Packers, Turner played 56 snaps, leading to a PFF defensive grade of 81.5. Moreover, he recorded nine total tackles, one sack, four QB hits, four hurries, and one forced fumble. After the game, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber had nothing but praise when it came to Turner.
“How many people were watching him specifically today? Just whether or not he can be the guy,” Leber said on the Sept. 13 edition of “Sound the Horn.” “Can he take over for Jonathan Greenard? Did we make a mistake? Was this the right move?
“I’ll tell you definitively right now, [Turner is] the dude. He absolutely is a three-down player. He can play the run. We definitely know he’s got such a quick first step, and he put that on display a lot today.”
No Team Wants to Deal With Vikings’ Pass Rush
Moreover, with Turner playing alongside Andrew Van Ginkel, Leber believes that no opposing QB wants to deal with the Vikings’ pass rush.
“You get maybe the smartest pass rusher in the league in Andrew Van Ginkel, and he comes up big late in the game as well,” Leber added. “I don’t think there’s any offense or any quarterback that wants to be playing from behind and has to face this defense with those rushers because they’ll make you pay.”
Van Ginkel played 55 total snaps for Minnesota in the win, earning an 88.2 PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he recorded four total tackles, two sacks, one QB hit, one hurry, and one forced fumble.
Minnesota Defense Gets Clear Message After Week 1 Win
After the win over the Packers, Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson emphasized the Vikings’ defense in this come-from-behind win.
“That’s self-explanatory,” Jefferson told CBS Sports postgame. “We know the defense wants to cause those pressures. We know they’re going to force some type of turnover. It’s just all about what we’re doing on the offensive side of the ball, what we’re going to do with that turnover, to get points after that and run up the score a little bit. It definitely was a great feeling.”
Jefferson also had a major showing as he recorded eight receptions on nine targets for 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns, matching his tally from last season in his first game of the 2026 campaign.
Dallas Turner Draws Real Thoughts After Vikings’ Thrilling Win