MINNEAPOLIS — At one point, all of the Minnesota Vikings’ defenders surrounded Isaiah Rodgers on the sideline. He was leaning over on the metal bench, gassed after another game-breaking play. They’d already patted him on the helmet. High fives were no longer going to do this performance justice. So, they circled around him and showered him with bows as if to say: All hail Isaiah.
This is what happens when you play one of the best defensive games in NFL history. And Rodgers unequivocally did.
Minnesota’s 48-10 mauling of the Cincinnati Bengals occurred largely because the unsuspecting cornerback scored two defensive touchdowns and forced two fumbles. That had never been done before in a game. Rodgers accomplished the feat in a half.
“Insane, man,” said safety Josh Metellus. “I’ve never seen anything like that. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t even know what I’ve seen.”
In the locker room afterward, Metellus said his leg was cramping, not because of his defensive responsibilities, but because of all of the running he had to do on Rodgers’ scores.
Young cornerback Dwight McGlothern said he kept wondering if he was in the middle of a dream, watching a video game’s create-a-player feature. Even safety Harrison Smith, a 14-year veteran who typically reacts to outbursts like these with a shrug, seemed genuinely blown away.
Rodgers himself had every right to respond with bombast. He could’ve declared himself a star. He could’ve thrown darts at the Philadelphia Eagles for not re-upping him this offseason.
Instead, his comments were mostly mundane. Rodgers praised the coaching staff for helping him to prepare. He said he’d been frustrated with himself for not making these types of plays before Sunday. He spoke in the third person only once.
“I just knew once I finally got my shot,” he said, “whether it was Year 6 or Year 10, I knew I was going to be the best Isaiah I can be.”
“These are the type of moments you dream of. I’m just happy to put on for my city and to put on for the little guys like me out there who never thought they could make it this far in life.”
Isaiah Rodgers to @tracywolfson after a HUGE @Vikings W pic.twitter.com/mdRCQm636Z
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 21, 2025
Collectively, the Vikings needed a lot of bests on Sunday. Week 3 games rarely qualify as must-win, but sparking some momentum before the two-game trip overseas — not to mention the gauntlet looming when the Vikings return from their bye week — was essential. Quarterback Carson Wentz (14-of-20 passing for 173 yards and two touchdowns) managed the operation well in J.J. McCarthy’s absence. The Vikings also leaned heavily on a ground game powered by Jordan Mason (16 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns). But the offense’s success was spurred by a defense that looked as close as it has this season to its top form.
Facing Bengals backup Jake Browning instead of starter Joe Burrow helped, of course. But the Vikings’ hands were active early. Midway through the first quarter, Smith deflected a Browning pass, and Rodgers snatched the tipped ball. The seas parted in front of him, and he raced 87 yards down the left sideline looking like the kick returner he once was.
But Rodgers’ most impressive sequence began near the two-minute mark in the second quarter. The door remained ajar for the Bengals, then trailing 17-3, to creep back into the game. Browning dumped a pass to tight end Noah Fant in the flat, and Rodgers threw a haymaker of a fist at the football.
In real time, it looked like a magic trick. Masterful sleight of hand. The football wasn’t in Isaiah Rodgers’ hands, and then it was. It was like seeing a pickpocket in action.
Even Rodgers’ teammates were befuddled. Superstar receiver Justin Jefferson leaped from his spot on the bench and looked out toward the field with confusion. He’d heard the roar of the crowd. He noticed Rodgers running the other way. But he never saw the ball hit the ground, nor did he see Rodgers pick it up. Sixty-six yards later, Rodgers was scoring and leaping to celebrate with fans.
“The punch looks easy, but it’s so hard to do that,” Smith said. “You’re usually just, like, ‘Can I make this tackle?’ The awareness to be able to do that, then pick the ball up and run it back, is really high level.”
The Vikings practice these punches. It’s unseen work. Walk out to the grass fields behind the TCO Performance Center on a random Wednesday afternoon and you’ll see Rodgers and the other cornerbacks diving into cushioned mats while lunging for the football. “Be all about the ball” is written in meeting rooms. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels also holds a key role among coaches, focusing a significant portion of his work on turnover creation and prevention.
“We’ll have a great practice,” Metellus said, “and the coaches will be pissed if we don’t knock the ball out.”
Vikings CB Isaiah Rodgers earned the highest overall PFF grade in NFL history today… a perfect 99.9 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ybg7M6RYC1
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) September 21, 2025
Perhaps that’s why Rodgers returned to the sideline vowing to force another fumble. Which he did about 30 seconds later. Browning completed a pass to Chase, who cut up the field. Rodgers tracked him from behind and poked the ball out once again.
It would be a stretch to say that defensive coordinator Brian Flores saw this coming when he pushed aggressively for Rodgers this spring, but Flores likely was among the least surprised at the eruption. When Flores was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, he evaluated Rodgers’s tape at UMass. He saw his speed and instincts on film. Flores wanted him for his defense then, but the Indianapolis Colts plucked Rodgers in the sixth round.
Rodgers recorded three interceptions for the Colts in 2021, then started nine games the following season. His career inflection point came in 2023, when he was suspended for the season for gambling. He resurfaced in 2024 in Philadelphia, playing 328 snaps. As the Vikings scoured the market for a low-cost signing with upside, Flores, who never shies away from offering his opinion on personnel, fixated on Rodgers. It was similar to current Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, whom Flores targeted last offseason.
“If I’m being 100 percent honest,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said, “I can vividly remember the conversation with (Flores) about (Rodgers).”
The Vikings’ thinking went something like this: If they were going to spend aggressively on Byron Murphy Jr. and two new interior defensive linemen, the No. 2 corner needed to be a creative move. Rodgers fit the bill. His training camp consistency gave the staff confidence, but Sunday afternoon — versus Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, no less — validated that initial vision.
Minnesota generated five total turnovers, vaulting toward the top of the NFL in the statistic that anchored last year’s team. The more havoc Flores’ unit creates, the more energy it plays with. And the more juice this team has, especially with elite receiver Jordan Addison returning next week, the scarier it gets as a whole.
The vibe was evident Sunday evening. Metellus joked that the other safeties and cornerbacks were asking themselves postgame if they felt like the footballs were being dislodged more easily this year.
“We are in the shower, like, ‘Should we start punching more than normal?’” Metellus said. It was their way of making sense of a performance that had no comparison.
(Photo: Adam Bettcher / Getty Images)
