Sunday was sweet.

Carson Wentz lived out his childhood dream with a nice two-touchdown game for the club he was a fan of in his youth. A Vikings defender, unbelievably, was responsible for as many touchdowns (more on that soon). Rookie guard Donovan Jackson played great despite a wrist injury, and battled a bloodied nose. Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel returned on pre-planned pitch counts and made big impacts; Smith deflected a pass, causing an interception, and Gink' had two sacks on strictly third-down snaps (8). The "Big Dog" Christian Darrisaw rejoined the fold, as well, and locked up Bengals star Trey Hendrickson.

So, yeah, the wire-to-wire rout of Cincinnati was sweet, and that's underselling it.

Now, how about love for Jordan Mason, a nominee for the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week!

Minnesota's bruising running back, who was acquired via a trade with San Francisco in the spring, averaged 7.3 yards per rush on his way to obtaining his first 100-yard day as a Viking and first NFL game with two rushing touchdowns.

Emily Leiker of the Minnesota Star Tribune on Monday wrote about Mason's powerful breakthrough.

Here's an excerpt from her story:

Mason ricocheted off defenders all afternoon like a pinball, using them to try to help propel himself forward, likely delivering bruises while maybe taking a few of his own.

But Aaron Jones, Sr., speaking before his injury, said Mason's off-field persona is different from his on-field one. He's a laid-back, funny guy who always has a smile on.

Cam Akers supported the read of Mason as a bit of a jokester, saying that's "110 percent" why they clicked while training this summer and upon Akers' arrival back in Minnesota.

It's good information to know because Mason, in many respects, is flying under the radar.

Through his first three games donning the Purple, the 5-foot-11, 230-pound back is averaging a career-best 71.3 rushing yards per game. He has toted the rock 40 times for 214 yards (5.4 avg.), including a long of 24, and 12 first downs. Both his touchdowns Sunday afternoon came from within the 5-yard line.

That latter piece is mega-important.

It's one of the main reasons Mason was viewed as an extension to Jones; why Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has touted them as 1A and 1B options; and why Minnesota's offense could take a step forward in 2025. Mason is a short-yardage difference-maker, and a real threat to do damage in the red zone.

Last year, Jones carried 12 times inside the 5 and netted minus-4 yards with three TD. Only former Seahawks QB Geno Smith (three attempts for minus-6 yards) and former 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel (two for minus-7) fared worse in gaining yards in that area. The inefficiency, however, wasn't all on Jones.

It's why center Ryan Kelly was targeted in free agency, along with his Colts teammate Will Fries, and Jackson with the 24^th overall selection in the 2025 Draft. The retooled o-line and Mason go hand-in-hand.

In addition to his impact near the goal line, Mason is aiding Minnesota's overall run game with strong knee drive and play style. He ranks eighth among running backs who have carried 40-plus times with 3.50 average yards after contact. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson (3.55) is the player directly ahead of Mason.

Read the story on the 26-year-old, often referred to as J.P. because his middle name is Ponchez, here.

The 'Perfect' Game

We're not talking about nine innings of no-hit, no-walk, error-free baseball.

Minnesota cornerback Isaiah Rodgers did pitch a "perfect" game by Pro Football Focus' standards, though, with two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles, three tackles and another pass breakup.

As fans witnessed and O'Connell said after, Rodgers was "spectacular" in Week 3.

His play awarded him the highest individual single-game grade ever recorded, according to PFF.

Here's their memo:

The final reviews of the Vikings rout of the Cincinnati Bengals are in, and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is officially the first player in the PFF era to achieve a "perfect" game grade on 10 or more defensive or offensive snaps. And he did it on a 41-rep sample. … Rodgers is no stranger to earning high PFF grades. All three of his full seasons have yielded at least a 70.0 PFF overall grade, and he was the position's 12th-highest-graded run defender last year (83.4). But a 99.9 grade? That stands alone in PFF history.

It's a deserving honor for someone who became the first NFL player (since at least 1991 when forced fumbles were included in full play-by-play data) with pairs of defensive scores and forced fumbles in the same game. As Harrison Smith noted in the locker room, Rodgers' achievement needs an asterisk.

Why? Because he stuffed the stat sheet in a single half (and only played into the third quarter).

Curious about the closest-to-perfect performances on offense/defense in PFF's records? Here they are:

• Tight end Matt Spaeth posted a 99.1 grade for Chicago in Week 2 of 2012 (11 snaps)
• Quarterback Lamar Jackson had a 98.7 mark for Baltimore in Week 10 of 2019 (35 snaps)
• Tackle Andrew Whitworth logged a 98.4 score for Cincinnati in Week 15 of 2010 (70 snaps)
• Linebacker Troy Reeder earned a 98.3 grade for the Chargers in Week 11 of 2022 (21 snaps)

Naturally, Rodgers doubled up, breaking another PFF record with a 99.3 coverage grade on 26 such snaps. It easily surpassed the previous highwater mark for a defender with a minimum of 15 coverage snaps; Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick had a 97.9 single-game mark over 19 coverage snaps in 2014.

In three games with the Vikings so far, Rodgers has allowed five catches on 12 targets (41.7 percent completion) for 48 yards, while taking turns defending the likes of Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, and Mike Gesicki and Tee Higgins, per PFF's tracked matchups for Minnesota's first three contests. That, coupled with his playmaking, equates to an opponent passer rating of 18.8.

As close to perfect as one really gets in the NFL.

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