Every Vikings opponent is now copying the same game-wrecking tactic

After a brutal ending to one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Minnesota Vikings entered 2025 with a clear agenda.

The plan, in a nutshell, centered around the quarterback. Shoring up the protection for first-year starter J.J. McCarthy was priority No. 1; beefing up the defensive line to affect the opposing passer from the interior was also an objective.

The Vikings checked both of those boxes after going all-in during the first wave of 2025 free agency.

The midseason progress report, however, has produced one major red flag, and one incomplete.

The latter grade is painfully obvious. Injuries throughout the offensive line, from left tackle Christian Darrisaw to center Ryan Kelly, all the way to the right side, have made it near impossible to judge Kevin O’Connell’s offense fairly over the first eight weeks of this regular season; injuries to both McCarthy and backup QB Carson Wentz haven’t helped, either.

As for the red flag? It’s impossible to ignore after Minnesota’s Thursday night no-show against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Vikings have been uncompetitive against the run for about a month now, and they could be powerless to fix the problem without a major move before the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline.

Minnesota Vikings are getting bullied on defense against heavy personnel 

It’s becoming clearer by the week that the Vikings leaned a little too hard into their need for a better interior pass rush this offseason.

What they’re missing — defensive tackle Harrison Phillips immediately comes to mind — are those big, gap-stuffing linemen that change the line of scrimmage and affect the run game.

The Vikings have the luxury of Brian Flores, one of the best and most forward-thinking defensive coordinators in football. But over the last four weeks, especially, it doesn’t seem to matter where Flores moves his chess pieces.

Minnesota is, frankly, getting bullied at the point of attack when facing heavy personnel.

The loss to the Chargers should be a wake-up call. Los Angeles repeatedly gashed the Vikings on the ground with Kimani Vidal, a back that started the season on the practice squad; he gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and the Chargers rushed for 207 yards as a team in the 37-10 rout.

Per Next Gen Stats, the Chargers gained 145 yards and two touchdowns using 22 personnel, or with two running backs and two tight ends on the field; they ran 27 plays overall with that grouping, the third most since Next Gen Stats began tracking data back in 2016.

It’s become clear that the Vikings' opponents are copying the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game plan from Week 4, when they fed Minnesota a heavy dose of six offensive linemen and massive tight end Darnell Washington.

The Browns, Eagles, and Chargers followed suit with a ton of heavy personnel — multiple tight ends, extra backs, extra linemen — with two wide receivers on the field, sending the Vikings into their mini bye week searching for answers.

The big question entering Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, a game that comes after the looming trade deadline? Do the Vikings currently have the personnel on their side to combat this problem?

Minnesota has gotten strong interior pass rush returns from Jalen Redmond, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave, but all three players leave much to be desired against the run.

Allen (93rd) and Hargrave (114th) in particular rank near the bottom of the league in Pro Football Focus' rush defense grade, and unless the Vikings want to bench their combined $81 million investment in free agency for more Levi Drake Rodriguez, there’s no clear solution on the current roster.

The Vikings’ ongoing struggles make their decision to trade Phillips this offseason even more puzzling. They could soon have to atone for that mistake with a major move before the trade deadline to stop their ship from taking on more water.