The Minnesota Vikings didn’t earn any style points on Sunday, but they were still able to defeat the Chicago Bears 9-3 on Sunday afternoon. The win came on a dreary day at Soldier Field, and while it wasn’t pretty, the win helped Minnesota earn an early lead in the NFC North with a 2-0 record against divisional opponents.
The Vikings will move on as they travel to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, and if they take care of business, they could be on their way to a 4-0 start.
But before we get too far down the line, there were several winners and losers that came out of the win over the Bears, who could help the Vikings take advantage of a great start to the season.
Vikings winners and losers from Minnesota's Week 2 win over the Bears
Winner - Dallas Turner (EDGE)
Vikings fans may have called the Week 1 win over the Packers “The Dallas Turner Game” after he racked up nine pressures and a sack in the season-opening victory. But his encore turned out to be another “Dallas Turner Game.”
Turner led the Vikings with 10 pressures on 39 pass-rushing snaps on Sunday, according to PFF, and if that wasn’t enough, he came through with two sacks, including a game-clinching takedown of Tyson Bagent on the final play of the game.
The performance validates the Vikings’ decision to trade Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, and Turner has responded with 19 pressures and three sacks through his first two games. While fans may have seen a clear runway, Turner has taken full advantage and could be on his way to a breakout campaign.
Winner - Aaron Jones (RB)
The Vikings' running game was hit with a stiff shot earlier in the week when Jordan Mason went on injured reserve with a thumb fracture. With their lead back out until Week 7 at the earliest, the pressure was on Aaron Jones to step up.
At 32 years old, Jones is not a burner. But as a veteran, he’s a crafty runner who knows what to do. That enabled Kevin O’Connell to put his trust in Jones, and he responded with 105 yards on 23 carries.
The workload is a concern moving forward, but Jones took full advantage of the Vikings’ revised scheme on Sunday afternoon. If that is a sign of what the Vikings can do on the ground going forward, it could mean great things for Jones over the next month and even better things when Mason is ready to return.
Winner - Jalen Redmond (DL)
Redmond is part of a defensive line that has little notoriety nationally, but people will learn his name if he keeps having games like he did against the Bears. All four of Redmond’s tackles on Sunday were run stops, according to PFF, and he came up with one of the biggest plays of the game, stripping D’Andre Swift at the goal line in the third quarter.
Had Swift gotten into the end zone, it would have been a big turning point on a day when points were at a premium. Instead, Redmond scored the strip and helped the Vikings' defensive line hold Swift and Kyle Monangai to 92 yards on 26 carries (3.5 yards per carry) in the win.
Winner - Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
While Redmond scored the strip on Swift, Rodgers was the player who pounced on the ball to create the turnover. Building on a solid season debut, Rodgers was even better against the Bears, logging four total tackles and a pass defense in coverage.
He also made an impact on special teams, blocking a Cairo Santos field goal attempt in the fourth quarter after almost blocking a field goal earlier in the game.
For a team that relies on value at the cornerback position, Rodgers needed to have a strong year to stay in Minnesota. After his first two games, Rodgers is cementing his spot and could be in line for a contract extension if he continues to play like this.
Winner - Will Reichard (K)
On a day when he was the Vikings’ source of points, Reichard deserves a mention.
The conditions were brutal, but Reichard knocked down all three attempts on Sunday, connecting from 35 yards, 49 yards, and a 39-yarder that banked off the upright in the fourth quarter.
Dating back to last season, Reichard has now made 23 field goals in a row.
Loser - Demond Claiborne (RB)
Mason’s injury shifted the roles in the Vikings backfield, and after being inactive in Week 1, it felt like Claiborne would get an opportunity. But a sixth-round pick, whom Jones compared to Jahmyr Gibbs during training camp, saw just two snaps and lost opportunities in favor of Minnesota’s reliable veterans.
Claiborne’s speed and explosiveness make him a player worth monitoring. But his issues in pass protection and ball security continue to make him a project.
On a day when Claiborne could have gotten a longer look, the Vikings decided to play someone who wasn’t on the roster a few weeks ago, and it shows that Claiborne has a long way to go to reach his potential.
Loser - Carson Wentz (QB)
To some, Wentz had a big opportunity on Sunday. With Kyler Murray out due to a concussion, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that the Vikings would have “an interesting decision” to make if Wentz played well against the Bears, but while he led them to the win, Wentz’s play isn’t worthy of the “hot hand” approach.
The weather played a role, but Wentz completed just 11-of-20 passes for 143 yards in the win. He also could have had an interception after throwing a pass into the chest of Devin Bush on the opening drive, and he looked shaky all afternoon.
Perhaps this is a bit of nitpicking, as, once again, the Vikings won the game. But it feels like Minnesota’s upside is much greater with Murray at quarterback, and he should reclaim his role when he clears concussion protocol next week.
Loser - Will Fries (RG)
The Vikings’ offensive line played well, and Fries didn’t have a bad game with two pressures allowed. But those pressures led the team on a day when he only had 24 pass-blocking snaps, and with a 51.0 run-blocking grade, the 28-year-old isn’t living up to his big contract.
Fries signed a five-year, $87.7 million contract during the spring of 2025, but his first season didn’t go well with 37 pressures and three sacks allowed on 612 pass-blocking snaps.
Coming off a tibia fracture, perhaps expectations should have been watered down last year. But it hasn’t gotten any better with Fries posting a 48.1 overall grade and allowing five pressures and a sack on 54 pass-blocking snaps in the first two weeks, per PFF.
PFF’s grades are arbitrary, and you could argue that Fries has been average. But with a $17.2 million cap hit (h/t Over The Cap), the Vikings didn’t sign Fries to be average.
Maybe things get better as the year goes on, but if they don’t perform as well as the one Fries had on Sunday could have him sent out of Minnesota as soon as next offseason.
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