Grading Every Vikings Position Group in Sunday's 39-22 Win Over Packers

Most Vikings fans probably watched the second half of Sunday's game on a shattered TV screen after the most disastrous start imaginable, but they were rewarded with 29 unanswered points by Minnesota to seal the win.

It was certainly a tale of two halves, making grading the overall performance quite the challenge. But despite the Jekyll-and-Hyde performance, the Minnesota Vikings are moving on to Week 2 undefeated. Here's how the positional grades shook out.

Quarterback: B

Kyler Murray's first pass attempt as a Viking was a desperation heave that got intercepted. His day was cut short soon after with a hit to the head on a scramble, leaving Minnesota no choice but to lean on Carson Wentz. And despite taking virtually zero first-team reps all summer as the battle between Murray and J.J. McCarthy raged on, all Wentz did was lead a Vikings comeback with three passing touchdowns. Murray could potentially miss multiple games in the concussion protocol, but Wentz is clearly the right move to start moving forward.

Running Back: C

The new-look running game has yet to be unlocked as neither Aaron Jones nor Jordan Mason gave especially memorable performances. Outside of a 28-yard gain by Mason, which eclipsed his long rush all of last year, the duo failed to generate much on the ground. A pair of late touchdowns saved an otherwise humdrum type of day which Kevin O'Connell called 'not pretty'. On an interesting note, practice squad signing DeeJay Dallas, who had been on the roster all of 10 days, got the nod over rookie Demond Claiborne as RB3. His pass-blocking and special teams skills might push the rookie down the depth chart this year.

Wide Receiver: B

Simply put, Justin Jefferson is good at football. The Vikings' superstar was the only source of positivity in the receiver room after going for 92 yards and two touchdowns, as neither Jordan Addison nor Jauan Jennings registered a catch. The Vikings did only attempt 24 passes, and Wentz has hardly gotten any work with the starters, so there's no reason for alarm. Still, if teams start to erase Jefferson, the Vikings will need Addison and Jennings to find some open space more than they did Sunday.

Tight End: B

It was a sneaky good day for the tight ends, highlighted by T.J. Hockenson's much-needed third-quarter touchdown. Hockenson and Oliver combined for six catches and 48 yards. Honorary member rookie Max Bredeson had a good showing at fullback as well, sealing Mason's goalline touchdown.

Offensive Line: C

The much-anticipated and now fully healthy offensive line was mostly unimpressive against a Packers defense that was without their best player. Two early false start penalties set the tone for the day, and they struggled mightily in pass protection even without Micah Parsons lining up across the way. Three sacks and just 3.1 yards per carry on the ground left a lot to improve upon. On a positive note though, Blake Brandel's snaps were on point all game after a shaky summer.

Defensive Line: A

The interior of the defensive line was rock solid despite little contribution from first-round pick Caleb Banks. A Levi Drake Rodriguez sack and a crucial 4th-and-1 stop late by Domonique Orange were the highlights from a performance that allowed just 66 yards on the ground to Green Bay rushers.

Linebacker: B

After a quiet three quarters, the linebacking group came alive late with back-to-back sacks that ended with a fumble recovery on the one-yard line. Edges Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel finally made their mark late in the game, showing why Minnesota should have little fear at the position after dealing Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia. The duo had 15 pressures against a banged-up Packers offensive line.

Marked all offseason as a trade candidate, Ivan Pace Jr. also had a nice day off the bench with three tackles, including one for a loss.

Secondary: D

The Vikings allowed four passes of over 30 yards, and constant breakdowns and open zones marred the secondary all day. Jordan Love finished with 387 yards and two touchdowns, and despite some miscues late in the game, was mostly dominant. Despite the win, the Vikings can't feel good about getting torched to the tune of nearly 400 yards. Still, Harrison Smith is working his way back up slowly, and things should settle down a bit on the back end in the coming weeks.

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