Most plans the Vikings had for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers went out the window when an injury to superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson forced the team to change its offensive strategy.
The stuttering offense kept the Vikings on defense for a majority of the game in Week 3, which isn't ideal. But when the team only picks up nine first downs, punts eight times, doesn't play a single red-zone snap and is 2-for-15 on third down, the defense will need to work overtime.
There is quite a bit to learn from breaking down the snap counts of key players in Minnesota's 23-16 victory over Tampa Bay this weekend . That said, here are my winners and losers from the Week 3 action
In the Vikings' first two games of the season, Ivan Pace Jr. played a total of 24 defensive snaps. He seemed like a forgotten man in Minnesota's defense ; however, that changed against Tampa Bay , as the interior linebacker played a season-high 16 defensive snaps on Sunday.
Pace rewarded the Vikings by recording three tackles and half a sack while registering two hits on Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield . His 80.6 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade was also his best mark of the season, giving him three pressures on seven pass-rush snaps so far-a rate of 42.9%.
Aaron Jones averaged 36 snaps per game through the Vikings' first two games. That is why it was moderately shocking to see him on the field for 47 of Minnesota 's 59 offensive snaps in Week 3 against the Buccaneers.
A workload that heavy is a lot for any running back, but Jones has been dealing with a knee injury that held him out of practice earlier in the week. His direct backup, Jordan Mason , is recovering from thumb surgery, which means it should have been up to Demond Claiborne and DeeJay Dallas to give him a rest and take some of the pressure off.
That didn't happen. Claiborne played three offensive snaps , and Dallas played nine. Jones had absolutely no reason to be on the field for nearly 80% of Minnesota's offensive snaps, and the Vikings are gambling with his health by letting him play that many reps.
Looking at the stat lines, Tai Felton looks like a complete non-factor. He was targeted twice by Kyler Murray and failed to haul in either opportunity. However, when Jefferson left the game with an ankle injury, Felton's workload grew considerably.
Tai Felton immediately benefited from Justin Jefferson's early exit on Sunday afternoon. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Felton played two offensive snaps in the Vikings' first two games. On Sunday, his snap count skyrocketed to 32, eclipsing Myles Price 's four offensive snaps. Even with his lack of production, Minnesota still trusts Felton on the field.
Jake Golday is a linebacker who can do anything , but looking at the snap counts, the Vikings might not have a great idea of what to do with him on a regular basis. Through the first two games, he didn't play a single defensive snap, immediately raising questions among fans.
Although he got two defensive snaps on Sunday, Golday should be a bigger part of the team after being a second-round draft pick. For both of those defensive snaps, he was asked to drop back into coverage. Hopefully, defensive coordinator Brian Flores can figure out a better way to get him involved.
Although he's on the practice squad, Kyle Van Noy has been elevated to the active roster for all three games this season. He's been averaging 21.5 defensive snaps per game but saw that number shrink to 17 against Tampa Bay.
The Vikings are still trying to find the best balance of snaps for Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner to keep the players fresh and productive. But Van Noy's overall PFF grade of 84.6 and run defense grade of 80.5 show he can be trusted more often in relief of Minnesota's starting edge rushers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi as Vikings' Snap Count vs. Bucs: Biggest Winners, Losers & Role Changes in Week 3 .
