The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the pass-happiest teams in the NFL since reigning Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell was hired in 2022. It didn't matter whether it was Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs, Jaren Hall, or Sam Darnold under center. However, that mindset ostensibly shifted with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy stepping in following a "redshirt" rookie campaign.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entered free agency and this year's draft with a clear plan: build within the trenches. The goal was ostensibly to tailor to the philosophy that made McCarthy a national champion at Michigan and insulate their young signal-caller. It was an expensive vision to execute, but all Minnesota needed was one game to validate the approach.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's offseason vision became reality in the Minnesota Vikings' Week 1 win vs. the Bears
Only the New England Patriots spent more money than the Vikings this offseason. Most of Minnesota's funds went toward beefing up its interior lines on both sides of the ball. Adofo-Mensah landed a pair of veteran two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackles, Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, guard Will Fries, and former All-Pro center Ryan Kelly.
Hargrave and Allen wasted no time establishing themselves in Minnesota's 27-24 Week 1 victory over the Chicago Bears. They wreaked havoc on their new division rival to the tune of 13 combined pressures. The club's starting tandem from last season, Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard, combined for 21 across all of 2024 (h/t Nick Olson of Vikings Territory and Zone Coverage).
Minnesota's stop unit kept them within striking distance of the Bears until McCarthy and Co. found their footing in the second half. Hargrave and Allen were at the forefront of it all, clogging the middle up front and mucking things up for Bears passer Caleb Williams. Their ability to get into the opposing backfield from the inside opened opportunities for others on the perimeter.
Moreover, speaking of Kelly and Fries, they and first-round rookie guard Donovan Jackson held their own against Chicago's front seven. The talented blocking trio kept McCarthy clean, which is of the utmost priority. But they also did an excellent job of paving running lanes for fellow Vikings newcomer Jordan Mason.
Mason's box score numbers versus Chicago don't pop off the screen, turning 15 carries into 68 yards, adding another seven yards on one reception. But the 26-year-old averaged a healthy 4.5 yards per attempt, including multiple hard-nosed chunk gains at crucial moments in the contest. He ran well behind a revamped Vikings O-line that finished as Pro Football Focus' seventh-highest graded run-blocking group ($).
If Adofo-Mensah's message wasn't clear through his actions, perhaps it is now. He worked diligently to construct a roster around McCarthy that could grind out wins with smashmouth football and a stout, hard-nosed defense.