Was Isaiah Rodgers' performance the best ever by a Vikings defender?

Rodgers made history in the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium with a pick-six, a forced fumble that he returned for a touchdown, and a second forced fumble, not to mention a key pass breakup in the end zone.

No NFL player had ever previously recorded two defensive touchdowns and two forced fumbles in the same game. For Rodgers to do that in one half qualifies as legitimately one of the greatest individual defensive performances of all time. He earned the first-ever perfect 99.9 grade from Pro Football Focus, which has been handing out grades to every player in every game since 2006.

Rodgers is the seventh player to win DPOW in the Kevin O'Connell era. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel did it last season; Jordan Hicks, Camryn Bynum, and Ivan Pace Jr. earned the honor in 2023; and Za'Darius Smith did it in 2022. It happened 12 times in eight years under Mike Zimmer, with three players (Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen) winning it multiple times.

By our unofficial count, Rodgers' DPOW award is the 39th by a Vikings player since the league started handing out weekly awards in their current format in 1984. Before that, there was an AP Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week from 1963 to 1973.

Was Rodgers' performance the greatest ever by a Vikings defender? Almost certainly. No one in franchise history had ever scored two defensive touchdowns in one game before Rodgers did it in two quarters in his third game with Minnesota.

The better question might be which defensive performances come closest. Here are a couple good ones we found (we should note that it's tougher to find specific stats from older games, which is why there aren't any Purple People Eater feats included).

Randy Holloway, 1984 Week 3

Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, the only Vikings player with five sacks in one game is Holloway, who did it in a win over the Falcons. He didn't even win DPOW that week; it went to Washington DB Vernon Dean, who had three picks and returned one for a touchdown.

Darren Sharper, 2005 Week 10

The Vikings' record for interceptions in a game is three. There have been four instances of a player having three picks in a game and returning one of them for a touchdown (Bobby Bryant, Audray McMillan, Brian Williams, Darren Sharper). In a 2005 game against the Giants, Sharper had a 92-yard pick-six off of Eli Manning, two other interceptions, and five total passes defended.

Jared Allen, 2009 Week 4

Allen came close to Holloway's record, recording 4.5 sacks of Aaron Rodgers and a forced fumble in perhaps the most iconic performance of his Hall of Fame career. He too was snubbed of DPOW, which went to Sharper (who was then with the Saints).

Anthony Barr, 2014 Week 8

In a 2014 game against the Buccaneers, Barr had eight tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup in regulation. But it became an all-timer for what he did in overtime. He ripped the ball out of Austin Seferian-Jenkins' grasp, scooped it up, and ran it back for a walk-off touchdown. On Sunday, Rodgers (Isaiah, not Aaron) became the first Vikings player to have a forced fumble, fumble recovery, an touchdown on the same play since Barr.

Danielle Hunter, 2018 Week 9

Hunter had 3.5 sacks and a 32-yard fumble return touchdown in a 2018 win over the Lions. He's the only player in Vikings history with at least three sacks and a touchdown in one game.