Isaiah Rodgers celebrates after scoring a touchdown off of a fumble recovery during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
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Going into Sunday’s Week 3 game between the Vikings and the Bengals, the story line concerned two teams with playoff aspirations having to compete with backup quarterbacks under center. But as the game unfolded, the story was not about Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz or Bengals signal caller Jake Browning. It was about a defensive performance by Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers that had never been equaled in NFL history.
Rodgers came into the game at U.S. Bank Stadium as a role player who hoped to hold up his end when it came to covering receivers and preventing big plays in the running game. However, Rodgers rewrote NFL history before the end of the first half.
First, he alertly intercepted a pass from Browning at the Vikings 13-yard line after veteran safety Harrison Smith deflected the pass in his direction. Rodgers took off immediately and sped down the sideline with sprinter’s speed and raced into the endzone.
That might have been enough to earn him defensive player of the week, but it was just the first salvo. Late in the second quarter with the Vikings leading 17-3, Browning hit tight end Noah Fant with a short pass near the far sidelines. The tight end advanced after he caught the ball, but Rodgers was having none of it. He punched the ball out of Fant’s grip, Peanut Tillman style, and picked up the ball. He had been on the turf, but nobody touched him. He ran 66 yards into the end zone for his second touchdown.
Two plays after that, Browning hit superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase with a 15-yard pass. Rodgers pounced quickly and knocked the ball loose where teammate Jeff Okudah recovered it.
Interception for TD. Forced fumble, fumble recovery and return for TD. Forced fumble.
Shocking performance led the way
After taking over the game for the Vikings, Rodgers had a chance to explain how it happened. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
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The Vikings went into the locker room at halftime with a 34-3 lead. When it was all over, they had pummeled the Bengals by a 48-10 margin.
The unknown Rodgers explained to the CBS audience what had happened. “These are the type of moments you dream of,” Rodgers explained. “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.”
Rodgers did not win the game for the Vikings by himself, but he certainly lit the fuse that led to the one-sided triumph. His teammates were both thrilled for him and in awe of what he had accomplished.
Harrison Smith, who was playing his first game of the season after missing the first two due to illness, explained that the Vikings practice punching the ball away from opponents throughout the week.
Nevertheless, attempting to knock the ball loose and actually accomplishing it are two different things. “The punch looks easy, but it’s so hard to do that,” Smith said, per The Athletic. “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.”
Players often dream of having a game that can both give their team a much-needed victory and lead to a star turn. It rarely happens where a relatively unknown player can lift himself and deliver a superstar-level game.
That’s what happened to Rodgers, and now the football world wonders what will be next. The Vikings are 2-1 and about to spend two weeks in Europe. They will play a game in Dublin against the Steelers. A week later they will face the Browns in London. The defense has stood up and made the NFL take notice because of the Rodgers performance. They have other players who are worthy, and one or more may step forward. However, none of them are likely to ever come close to delivering the kind of game that Rodgers had against the Bengals.
It was one for the ages.
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