Top Minnesota Vikings Rookies: Week 14 vs. the Detroit Lions

Johnson finds the end zone

Vikings rookie wide receiver Bisi Johnson only had one catch on the day. But the good part was that his lone reception resulted in a touchdown.

Kirk Cousins found the rookie in the back of the end zone in the first quarter on Sunday and lobbed a pass that only Johnson could catch. He went up and snagged it, getting Minnesota their first points of the game.

Johnson continues to prove he was a steal from the 2019 draft class and kudos go to Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and his scouting department for uncovering this gem.

Minnesota rookie center Garrett Bradbury had another good game this week. He helped the Vikings ground game get over that 100-yard mark for the first time since their win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.

His pass protection was good too as little pressure came up the middle and Cousins, on most dropbacks, had just about all day to throw. Bradbury even registered his first and quite possibly the only reception of his career.

An errant pass by Cousins deflected off a Lions defender and ended up in Bradbury’s hands. The rookie blocker immediately dropped to the ground for a four-yard loss. That was probably the smart play, but he may start kicking himself after he realizes that could’ve been his one shot at offensive glory for his entire career.

It would’ve been great to see Bradbury try to run down the field after making the catch. But the chances of him fumbling were much higher than him getting any positive yardage, so falling to the ground was still the best option.

Top Vikings Rookie of Week 14

That brings us to the top Vikings rookie of Week 14 and, once again, it is running back Alexander Mattison.

Mattison carried the ball a whopping 14 times for 46 yards. He added 18 yards through the air on two receptions, but again, he couldn’t get into the end zone when the offense was inside the five-yard line.

While him not scoring was disappointing, he did have another impressive highlight against Detroit. Mattison took the ball to the outside and a Lions defender lowered his head to make the tackle. Showing that he is part kangaroo, Mattison impressively leaped the poor attempt at a tackle and picked up an additional five to six yards.

It showed off his extreme athletic ability and it was easily one of the biggest highlights of the young running back’s impressive rookie season with Minnesota.