Minnesota Vikings Week 5 Superlatives

It’s tough and frustrating to find superlatives after losses. The Minnesota Vikings keep finding new ways to lose close games. In Week 5, they again made one more mistake than they could handle and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-20. The Vikings had a chance. Like a pass through the hands of Cam Bynum and Alexander Mattison, that chance slipped away. Here are some of the players that did some good things in another disappointing loss. 

Offensive Player of the Game

Jordan Addison, WR

For the first time this season, a player other than Justin Jefferson is the Offensive Player of the Game. He hasn’t produced huge numbers through five games but Jordan Addison has been outstanding. He’s five games into his NFL career and he already plays like a seasoned veteran. The Vikings scored on theif first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

For the game:

6 catches

64 yards

1 touchdown

With Justin Jefferson out for at least four games, Addison has the opportunity and the Vikings have a serious need for him to step and be much more than a promising rookie. 

Defensive Player of the Game

Danielle Hunter, OLB

Marcus Davenport, OLB

Despite giving up more points than the offense scored, the defense played well against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. It’s tough to pick a player that truly shined in this game but I’m liking what I’m seeing from the pass rushing tandem of Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport. An ankle injury had kept Davenport from the lineup for nearly all of the first three games. He’s made an impact in the past two games. Hunter has made an impact in all five games. The attention paid to the two has opened things up for the rest of the defensive front. I expect the Vikings defense to continue to improve. Hunter and Davenport will lead that improvement.

Special Teams Player of the Game

Josh Metellus

Ty Chandler

I was considering Greg Joseph for making all four of his kicking opportunities. I’m going with the tandem that headlined a successful fake punt. Fourth-and-two near midfield, Josh Metellus took a direct snap and handed to Ty Chandler. Chandler took off around the right end for 15 yards. First-and-10 at the Chiefs 33-yard line. Eight plays later, the Vikings had their first touchdown.