Vikings snap counts and notable PFF grades from Week 2 win over 49ers

The Vikings' defense once again came up with a litany of big plays in this win.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; The Minnesota Vikings react after an interception by safety Josh Metellus (obscured in center) against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Vikings' 23-17 win over the 49ers on Sunday was a statement to the rest of the country. This Minnesota team, with Sam Darnold operating the offense and all kinds of players thriving on defense, is legit. Led by the coaching of Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores, the Vikings deserve to be taken seriously as a playoff contender.

Let's dive into the weeds of Sunday's big win with a look at the snap counts and some notable player grades from Pro Football Focus.

Vikings offensive snap counts vs. 49ers (out of 54)

* QB Sam Darnold: 54
* C Garrett Bradbury: 54
* LT Christian Darrisaw: 54
* LG Blake Brandel: 54
* RG Ed Ingram: 54
* RT Brian O’Neill: 54
* WR Jalen Nailor: 50
* WR Justin Jefferson: 38
* TE Johnny Mundt: 38
* RB Aaron Jones: 33
* WR Brandon Powell: 32
* TE Josh Oliver: 29
* RB Ty Chandler: 19
* WR Trent Sherfield: 16
* FB C.J. Ham: 10
* WR Trishton Jackson: 5

As expected, Nailor's snap count went way up in the absence of Jordan Addison (ankle). He was basically an every-down player and finished with three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, including a clutch 26-yarder on the Vikings' key drive in the fourth quarter. Jefferson left in the second half with a quad contusion, but he believes he'll be good to go next week.

Jones out-snapped Chandler 33 to 19 but only out-touched him 14 to 10, and it was Chandler who led the way on the ground, rushing for 82 yards. Jones led the Vikings with five receptions but did lose a fumble near the goal line.

Notable PFF grades on offense

1. Bradbury — 84.4
2. Chandler — 79.8
3. Jefferson — 79.8
4. Darrisaw — 78.1
5. Nailor — 72.6

That's a much-needed bounce-back performance from Bradbury, who struggled mightily against Dexter Lawrence last week. He allowed just one pressure against the 49ers. Darrisaw gave up a sack to Nick Bosa, but was his usual solid self outside of that. Darnold's grade was just outside of the top five at 69.5. He was presumably hurt by his interception and the weird backward pass fumble that he was able to recover.

Grades on the lower end for the Vikings belonged to Brandel, Jones, Ingram, and Mundt, though none of them were truly disastrous.

Vikings defensive snap counts vs. 49ers (out of 70)

* LB Blake Cashman: 69
* CB Stephon Gilmore: 68
* S Harrison Smith: 65
* S Camryn Bynum: 57
* OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 57
* CB Byron Murphy Jr: 55
* S Josh Metellus: 50
* LB Ivan Pace Jr: 48
* OLB Jonathan Greenard: 47
* DL Harrison Phillips: 44
* DL Jerry Tillery: 38
* DL Jonathan Bullard: 37
* OLB Pat Jones II: 34
* CB Shaq Griffin: 30
* DL Jonah Williams: 23
* OLB Dallas Turner: 18
* DL Jihad Ward: 17
* DL Taki Taimani: 13

The Vikings rotated 18 players into 11 spots in an effort to keep everyone fresh during a second straight game where their defense was on the field for a lot longer than their offense. No one played every single snap, although the top three were close.

It's clear that Griffin is the Vikings' No. 3 option at corner behind Gilmore and Murphy. The Vikings will often only have two corners on the field along with three safeties, two inside linebackers, and four guys up front (or some similar combination). It's also notable that Turner played only 18 snaps on defense after seeing 35 last week in his NFL debut. Williams was up from the practice squad and joined the defensive line rotation.

Notable PFF grades on defense

1. Jones — 88.6
2. Cashman — 80.9
3. Griffin — 69.0
4. Metellus — 68.5
5. Van Ginkel — 66.2

Jones is off to a red-hot start to a contract year with four sacks in two games. Cashman was unbelievable in this game, stuffing the stat sheet with 13 tackles, 3 PBUs, and a sack. Metellus and Van Ginkel were super impactful again. His overall grade wasn't elite but Greenard had seven pressures, giving him a team-high 12 through two games. Lower grades went to Bynum, Bullard, and Pace.

As always, PFF grades should be taken as just one interesting data point, not an end-all, be-all referendum on a player's performance.