Inside The Vikings

Vikings rookie Dallas Turner has career day in win over Colts

Turner got an opportunity to play more and took advantage of it on Sunday night.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings rookie Dallas Turner makes a tackle against the Colts.
Vikings rookie Dallas Turner makes a tackle against the Colts. | Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

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Vikings first-round pick Dallas Turner played almost as many defensive snaps on Sunday night against the Colts (26) as he had in the previous four games combined (31). After barely seeing the field against the Lions and Rams, Turner got an opportunity to be a big part of the outside linebacker rotation and took advantage of it with the best game of his young career.

Turner did a little bit of everything in his 26 snaps. He rushed the passer 11 times and recorded a career-high four pressures, per PFF. He had a QB hit on an unblocked blitz from a nickel alignment and nearly got to Joe Flacco a couple times late in the game on sacks by his teammates. He also had two tackles on nine snaps in run defense and dropped into coverage on six snaps. The end result was a very solid 71.3 PFF grade for Turner, whose athletic ability was on display.

"There were some flashes in the pass rush and just the activity, solid in the run game," Kevin O'Connell said of Turner. "We wanted to make sure he was a little bit more involved in the game and he showed up. I thought it was a performance that I was not surprised by ... I thought it was a real great step in the right direction for Dallas and one that I think he'll build on. It's still early on in his career and he's learning and getting better every single day, but talented player, athletic, it shows up when you turn on the tape."

It was certainly an encouraging sign for the No. 17 overall pick out of Alabama, who played just four snaps against Detroit and three in Los Angeles. For whatever reason, the Vikings unleashed Turner in this game, giving him more snaps than Pat Jones II, who played a season-low 18. It was the most playing time Turner has seen since he recorded his first career sack on 35 snaps in the season opener against the Giants.

It's important to remember that Turner is still just 21 years old. The first half of his rookie season has gotten off to a fairly slow start, but if Sunday night is any indication, he could be poised to make a real impact in the second half of the season as he finds his stride in the NFL. The tools and upside are undeniably there.

Vikings snap counts, PFF grades vs. Colts: Bradbury, Ingram get high marks

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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