If everyone were only looking at box scores, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison would be catching everyone's eye for the wrong reasons, but he's been more than that in 2026 for this team.
In two games this season, Addison has caught only two passes on seven targets for 21 yards. This looks bad for a player who is gunning for a big payday and a contract extension with the Vikings soon.
It's fair to say that Addison needs to play better in the receiving game, but saying he is not playing well is further from the truth. The 2026 season may be tough for him on the stat line, but he is getting it done in other ways than catching the ball.
How Jordan Addison is impacting the Vikings through two games
Part of the lack of success stems from Addison's combination of factors. The biggest reason is instability in the passing game, from Kyler Murray getting hurt in the Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers to Carson Wentz dealing with rain in the Week 2 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Speaking of the rain, it ruined any chances of Addison being productive in the passing game, but it also gave him a chance to prove something else about his game. He played a key role in run blocking throughout the game.
One of the biggest concerns about the Vikings entering the Bears game was their running game after placing Jordan Mason on injured reserve. Minnesota proved everyone wrong with 119 yards on the ground, averaging 4.3 yards per carry in the win.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell talked to the media on Monday, where he talked about Addison. O'Connell said his young receiver is doing the dirty work and knows his time is coming.
"What jumped out to me was Jordan Addison blocking. His time's coming as far as the, you know, registering the things he's capable of in the stat column.
[He] had some chances over the top yesterday, but it just wasn't the type of game where you were going to be launching at 55, 60 yards down the field.
But his willingness to go do some things in the run game, specifically with Jauan out, and then he had a punch-out on what could have been an interception on that first drive.
Didn't even catch it during the game, but seeing him punch that ball off 12 from being able to maybe double-catch that thing ensured us getting the three points.
So he's doing a bunch of winning, game-winning things, and his time is coming."
What's encouraging is how mature Addison has been about his role with the team over the past two weeks. He's not complaining about not getting targets and catches. Instead, he's staying focused and helping the Vikings be the 13th-ranked rushing attack, averaging 113 yards per game.
Those are things coaches notice in players and reward. Coaches notice those things in them as they go. Addison's time will come, and when it does, the Vikings will reap the benefits of his play based on what they've seen over the years.
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