Defensive back James Pierre made his Vikings debut on Sunday and was a big reason why the Purple and Gold completed a comeback victory against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
In Week 1, he showed everyone why Minnesota was so quick to sign him this offseason . It seemed like the Vikings made him a priority when they added him in March, and it's safe to say it didn't take Pierre long to prove he should be in line for more work in upcoming games, starting with Week 2's collision with the Bears.
The Vikings trusted Pierre with 23 defensive snaps and nine special teams snaps against the Packers. He turned that into four tackles (all solo), two pass defenses, and one interception that he returned for 28 yards.
For reference, before joining the Vikings, the former Steelers DB recorded four interceptions and 147 combined tackles while averaging 13.8 defensive snaps and 14.3 special teams snaps per game.
That said, Pierre earned a 77.1 pass coverage grade from Pro Football Focus , which was the best of any Minnesota defender in the game. It also ranked 13th among 89 qualified cornerbacks last week. Needless to say, Pierre's coverage skills and sticky tackling make him a prime candidate to be on the field more against the Bears this weekend.
Between his preseason and Week 1 performances, the Vikings have nothing to lose by pushing James Pierre into an expanded role. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Minnesota's starting cornerbacks did not fare as well against Green Bay . Isaiah Rodgers played all 68 defensive snaps, while Byron Murphy Jr. was on the field for all but one of the team's plays on defense in Week 1.
Murphy was targeted seven times by Packers quarterback Jordan Love , and the results were abysmal. He gave up four catches for 60 yards and allowed a passer rating of 85.4, on his way to a PFF coverage grade of 57.3 . He only had six games with a mark worse than that last season.
The Bears are coming off a game where they dominated the Panthers offensively. While a majority of the damage was done on the ground, Chicago still completed 21 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. In a game where they ran the ball 39 times compared to throwing 29 passes, it is scary to think what the numbers could have been if Williams had been asked to pass more.
Murphy's struggles-combined with Pierre's standout performance-need to be noted by the Vikings' coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Considering that Murphy was on defense nearly three times as often as Pierre, it feels like something needs to change.
Pierre is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back. He should be able to match up well against any pass catcher that he is tasked with covering. If he does not see his snap count increase from Week 1, it would be a baffling decision by Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, and something he might regret come Monday morning.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi as James Pierre's Case to Play a Bigger Role for Vikings Against Bears in Week 2 .
