The Vikings persevered through an ugly first half and earned a well-deserved goal 21-13 victory against the Colts Sunday night at US Bank Stadium. It was a much closer game than it should have been due to three Sam Darnold turnovers and a few missed field goals, but it was a win nonetheless. Let’s dive into Minnesota’s snap counts and notable PFF grades to see what we can learn.

Vikings offensive snap counts against Colts (out of 73)

*QB Sam Darnold: 73
*C Garrett Bradbury: 73
* LG Blake Brandel: 73
*RG Ed Ingram: 73
* RT Brian O’Neill: 73
*LT Cam Robinson: 73
* WR Justin Jefferson: 72
* WR Jordan Addison: 67
*RB Aaron Jones: 55
*TE Josh Oliver: 41
*TE TJ Hockenson: 33
* WR Jalen Nailor: 20
* TE Johnny Mundt: 19
*RE Brandon Powell: 19
*RB Cam Akers: 16
* FB CJ ham: 13
* WR Trent Sherfield: 10

Lots of interesting stuff here. Robinson debuted for the Vikings at left tackle and I had the first game ball in the post-match locker room. Ingram remained at right guard despite the looming presence of Dalton Risner. Jefferson and Addison played big games.

On the tight end, Hockenson made his season debut but played only 45 percent of the snaps, coming away with three receptions on four targets. It was a big game for Oliver, who caught a career-high five passes for 58 yards and his third touchdown of the season. Mundt also remained involved and was unable to reach a target in the end zone. I would expect Hockenson’s snap share to increase a bit next week against the Jaguars.

Akers has now clearly supplanted Ty Chandler as the Vikings’ RB2. And after rushing for 46 yards on six carries, he’s unlikely to return that role anytime soon. Chandler didn’t play a single snap.

Top 5 PFF grades on offense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Olivier — 94.3
2. Bradbury — 80.0
3. Jefferson — 79.1
4. Darnold — 76.1
5. O’Neill — 74.8

Five others – Hockenson, Addison, Ingram, Robinson and Akers – also had ratings above 65 on a night where the Vikings moved the ball with ease. The only thing that stopped them in this game was turnovers and sacks. Darnold’s grade reflects how well he threw the ball all night, even with two rough interceptions.

Watching live, the eye test wasn’t great for players like Bradbury and Ingram. Bradbury stepped on Ingram’s foot when he was brought down during the Colts’ controversial touchdown. But he received an exceptional run blocking grade from PFF. Ingram’s pass blocking grade was a season-high 77.6, which could help him fend off the threat of Risner for at least one more week.

Only Brandel earned poor grades on the Vikings offensive line. Jones had his worst mark of the season.

Vikings defensive snap counts against Colts (of 54)

*S Harrison Smith: 54
*CB Byron Murphy Jr: 54
* LB Ivan Pace Jr: 52
* CB Stephon Gilmore: 50
*OLB Jonathan Greenard: 48
*S Josh Metellus: 44 years old
*S Camryn Bynum: 44 years old
*OLB Andrew Van Ginkel: 39
*DL Jerry Tillery: 36
*DL Harrison Phillips: 31
*DL Jonathan Bullard: 30
*OLB Dallas Turner: 26
* DL Jihad district: 23
* CB Shaq Griffin: 20
*OLB Pat Jones II: 18
*LB Kamu Grugier-Hill: 18
* DL Jalen Redmond: 7

Instantly, the number that jumps out at you is the one next to Turner’s name. His 26 snaps were almost as many as the 31 he had played in the previous four games combined. Turner outplayed Jones and had the best game of his career, recording four pressures on just 11 passing snaps. He figures to remain a real part of the rotation going forward.

If Blake Cashman returns next week, Pace would return in a more rotational role and Grugier-Hill would likely only see a few snaps. With Taki Taimani on IR, Levi Drake Rodriguez was active for this game but did not play a defensive game.

Top 5 PFF grades on defense (min. 20 snaps)

1. Phillips — 83.2
2. Bynum — 77.1
3. Neighborhood —72.2
4. Vertard — 71.5
5. Turner — 71.3

Murphy, Griffin and Metellus also received quality grades. Greenard had five more pressures and two late sacks, extending his streak of games with more than 5 pressures to eight to start the season. He now leads all of football with 48 pressures on the season, and his 7 sacks are tied for sixth.

The worst marks went to Van Ginkel, Tillery and Bullard. These last two names reinforce the need for the Vikings to add a defensive tackle before Tuesday’s trade deadline.