Vikings Verdict: Judging Eric Wilson, Dallas Turner & Other Exaggerations to Start Week 3

It's time once again to judge some potential overreactions from Week 2 after an ugly, gorgeous win over the Bears. The Vikings are 2-0 heading into their matchup against the Buccaneers, but their path to get there hasn't been without drama.

Should the Vikings sit a key starter? Is their star player really just taking advantage of the circumstances? Let's get into it, starting with the idea that...

The Vikings need to bench Eric Wilson

Fresh off a new contract and a career year, Eric Wilson hasn't come close to the great heights he reached in 2025. As of Wednesday morning, Wilson has as many missed tackles (three) as he does pressures and is graded the third-worst linebacker in football (34.7), according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

It's far from the season that earned him a new deal, where he notched 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

While the slow start is somewhat concerning for a player whose best season came at age 31, the Vikings won't do anything hastily just yet.

Ivan Pace has played well in a minimal role so far, registering a pressure and a run-stop in just 14 snaps against the Bears in Week 2, but has also fallen out of favor over the past few years. The splash plays for Wilson have dried up a bit, but it's likely defensive coordinator Brian Flores still trusts him more than Pace.

For now, Wilson's spot in the starting lineup is safe, but his situation could change after another rough outing against Tampa Bay.

Verdict: Overreaction

Dallas Turner is a paper tiger

Despite an impressive 20 pressures and three sacks to start the season, certain analytics have called
Dallas Turner's dominance into doubt. Offensive/defensive line analyst Brandon Thorn noted on Monday that of those 20 pressures, three of them were a 1-on-1 win against a tackle, with the rest coming from beating a tight end or simply being unblocked.

Dallas Turner has had some fun moments and good raw production through the first two games. Has abused some TEs. But of his 20 charted pressures (3 sacks included) via PFF, 3 total have been 1v1 wins vs a tackle (J Morgan). Encouraging, but let's see the Wirfs reps in Wk3. pic.twitter.com/ND2HHJ9bqE
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 21, 2026

While the numbers don't lie, neither do the eyeballs of everyone watching Vikings games.

Turner has left a path of destruction throughout both games this season, and if offensive coordinators want to continue to leave Turner matched up with their second-string tight end, that's on them.

Next week against Tristan Wirfs will be Turner's biggest challenge yet this season, but to think that he's only been a pressure merchant from wide-open lanes to the quarterback is silly.

Verdict: Overreaction

The Vikings head into the bye at 5-0

The Vikings' next three opponents have a combined record of 1-5, which surely means that the Purple and Gold will be blown out in all three. Resisting the typical Viking way of thinking, though, it's possible that they could enter their bye with an undefeated record.

Tampa Bay sits at 0-2, but by no means is it a cakewalk. Still, they did just lose to the Browns—yes, those Cleveland Browns—so either the Bucs will enter the game with some motivation, or they're simply just bad in 2026.

The Dolphins are also 0-2, but this time, they are widely regarded as one of the worst teams in football. It's a classic trap game, but it's still hard to see how Flores and the Vikings' defense won't dominate a team averaging just 13 points (30th) and 271.5 total yards (27th) per game.

Finally, the 1-1 Saints present maybe the biggest hurdle to reach 5-0 at the break. They're a two-point conversion away from being 2-0, and they also just took down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Laugh at the NFC South all you want; this team scares people.

Still, Justin Jefferson and Flores do plenty of that too.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

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