Right after midnight, Iverson Skye Pace entered the world.

Fifteen hours later, armed with newfound dad strength, Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., buckled his chinstrap and blasted into the Buccaneers backfield for a stunning half-sack.

"I'm a smaller guy, but I got more power than a lot of these tight ends and running backs," said Pace, who charged into and through Tampa Bay's 6-foot-5 tight end Cade Otton on the play to get to his target. "I just ran through his face, and then I saw Baker [Mayfield] step up.

"He was just right in my lap, man," Pace added. "I was like, 'Oh, my goodness, I got a sack.' "

And his celebration came to him at that exact moment — he rocked the baby.

"I just knew I was going to have a good game," Pace smiled. "Just knowing that God blessed me with a child, and I was able to make it … [I knew] it was going to be a good game for me."

Pace almost didn't suit up for Minnesota in Week 3 because his wife, McKenzie, wasn't feeling well Saturday morning and went to the doctor. She texted Ivan shortly before the team's charter flight was scheduled to take off from MSP and said, "They are keeping me."

So, the fourth-year pro called Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and told him he needed to go to the hospital. Ivan remained by McKenzie's side until she delivered their healthy baby boy — and then realized that playing the game was his way to support his growing family.

Pace stayed awake until 4 a.m., then finally caught a brief wink before going to the airport and hopping on a plane to Tampa. In the air, he felt "high emotions" and got a little rest.

His commitment to his teammates and coaches impressed them.

"They didn't expect me to come out there — I didn't expect myself to make it out there," Pace said. "But I got there, and they were all congratulating me, telling me they're happy for me, but [also], 'You're out here now, so you got to turn it up a notch and go play. You've got to stay focused on where your feet are.' And that's what I did, focused on where my feet were."

Pace played a season-high 16 defensive snaps and recorded three quarterback pressures, in addition to handling various duties on special teams as he's done well all season.

The 25-year-old's physicality and efficiency on blitzes was par for the course for him, but his off-the-cuff celly was something new. And the joy he felt returning to Minnesota was, too.

"It was an amazing feeling to come back home to McKenzie and our newborn baby," Pace shared.

That whirlwind weekend in late September is one great example of Pace's maturation as a person and a player. The 2023 undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati, who started 11 of 17 games and tallied 102 tackles as a rookie, has reduced his defensive snaps year over year and is primarily being featured in the third phase in 2026 because he's in a deep linebackers room led by veterans Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson. But he's playing his best football yet.

"I think Ivan's just — I want to say a can of kick-, but I'll say a can of kick-butt," Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores quipped before the Vikings defeated New Orleans to start 5-0. "He's just physical. He's tough. … His last couple weeks have been awesome to watch.

"His wife goes in labor. We don't think he's going to make it. He shows up [at] 10 a.m. on game day. He's all smiles. He goes in there and he's running through people. He's sacking the quarterback. He's making plays in the kicking game," Flores added. "I just go back to when we got him as an undrafted player, and he's just grown so much. He really has, as a ball player, but also as a man, I would say. I think we look at these guys as just ball players, but to see him, he's married now, he's got Iverson, his son, he's doing great on the field, he's doing great off the field. And so, I'm very proud of him — just like I'm proud of all our guys."

Although his playing time on defense has declined, Pace's impact feels greater than ever.

In Week 1 he knifed through Green Bay's offensive line and tackled running back MarShawn Lloyd for a loss of 2 yards. The play was highlighted in meetings the next day. It was a spark.

The following Sunday on a rain-soaked field, Pace subbed in for Cashman (the 'backer left for a couple plays to get checked out) and made one of the plays of the season so far at the Vikings 1-yard line. With no hesitation, Pace shot a gap and tackled D'Andre Swift; defensive lineman Jalen Redmond executed a crisp punch-out as Pace was dragging the Bears RB to the grass. The play amounted to a Vikings takeaway and a huge momentum shift that keyed a 9-3 win. About his execution in a pinch, Pace said, "That's what I do best, is shoot gaps."

Pace was impactful in Week 4 as well, decking Miami's long snapper along the sideline during a punt return Myles Price took 36 yards.

"I was just coming back down to block for 'Jug', seeing if anybody was going to come up and get close to him," Pace said. "He just gassed it around the corner, so I had to turn up and find somebody. The long snapper was right in my face, so I had to knock him over. I thought Jug could've kept it down the sideline a little bit [farther], but, you know, it was a good play."

Later, Pace used his "unbelievable ball get-off" and grazed a Fins punt. Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels said, "If he just had an inch-longer arm, maybe his middle finger was two inches longer, we'd be having a different conversation. Maybe we'd block it, scoop it and score it." Nevertheless, it was another awesome example of Pace's all-out effort.

As life speeds up on Pace, the game is slowing down. He said he's most proud of the way he's "stepping up as an actual football player, because in college I really didn't know stuff.

"I was just out there playing 'see ball, get ball,' " he pointed out.

Now, he's seeing the bigger picture.

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