Minnesota Vikings player rankings: Week 2 edition

4. Linval Joseph (no change)

What can be said about Joseph that hasn’t been said already? He’s a massive man who controls a lot of space in the trenches and can use his power and technique to throw blockers out of the way when getting after the quarterback.

But it’s not only that. Joseph is smart enough to go after the football and talented enough to continually make the players around him better. He forced one fumble on Alfred Morris on a tackle where he plowed through the 49ers offensive line that showed just how much of an impact he can make in a game.

3. Everson Griffen (down 1 spot)

As part of the dominant Minnesota Vikings defensive line, Griffen showed great mobility and efficiency during the game. Among his four total tackles, three of them were solo and showed off his ability to chase down ball carriers.

“Sack Daddy” only got credit for half of a sack during the game, sharing it with Sheldon Richardson. Still, he was consistently getting to Garoppolo as well as getting his hands up to defend a pass and force bad throws.

2. Xavier Rhodes (up 1 spot)

This was a big-time game for Rhodes. With Mackensie Alexander out and Trae Waynes getting banged up during the game, the pressure was on the defensive back to shut down his side of the field and put faith in the young players on the roster to deliver.

Rhodes did his job well. Jimmy Garoppolo hesitated to test Rhodes and that was understandable after the corner intercepted him and kept those passing windows extremely tight. As long as he is on the field, Rhodes will continue to be a key part of the team’s defense, especially when heavily relied upon.