Washington
Commanders
0-0
19
FINAL
36
Minnesota
Vikings
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a strong opening to the 2028 season, the Minnesota Vikings topped the Washington Commanders 36-19, showcasing a potent offensive performance that set the tone for the year. With both teams looking to establish themselves early, the Vikings emerged victorious in a game that highlighted their offensive firepower and defensive resilience.
Taylen Green led the charge for the Vikings, throwing for two touchdowns while managing a balanced attack. Mark Fletcher Jr. was the standout on the ground, racking up an impressive 288 rushing yards, making it difficult for the Commanders to contain him. For Washington, Jayden Daniels threw for 174 yards and Tai Felton was a bright spot in the receiving game, accumulating 164 yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with Minnesota's dynamic offense.
Defensively, the Vikings were effective with Blake Cashman recording 1.5 sacks and putting pressure on Daniels throughout the game. The turning point came midway through the third quarter when the Vikings forced a crucial turnover, swinging momentum firmly in their favor. With Patrick Queen's interception for Washington, the Commanders showed flashes of potential, but Minnesota's consistent defensive efforts ultimately secured their commanding victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 18 | 12 | 67% | 174 | 0 | 1 | 74.7 |
| Taylen Green | QB | 12 | 8 | 67% | 108 | 2 | 3 | 95.1 |
| Marcel Reed | QB | 8 | 3 | 38% | 75 | 1 | 1 | 72.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Fletcher Jr | HB | 19 | 288 | 15.2 | 22 | 3 | 84 | 0 |
| Taylen Green | QB | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Raleek Brown | HB | 12 | 35 | 2.9 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| Marcel Reed | QB | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jayden Daniels | QB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Isaac Guerendo | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Marsh | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tai Felton | WR | 5 | 164 | 32.8 | 78 | 1 | 73 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 2 | 51 | 25.5 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 4 | 46 | 11.5 | 23 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Rocky Baeers | TE | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 26 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Raleek Brown | HB | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 26 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Andrew Marsh | WR | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Mark Fletcher Jr | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Cashman | SAM | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suntarine Perkins | WILL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Sanker | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sonny Styles | MIKE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday | MIKE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryce Fitzgerald | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Demmings | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wendell Gregory | LEDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Sainristil | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Eboigbe | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Upton Stout | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lukas Van Ness | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Odafe Oweh | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Finney Jr. | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marco Jones | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jaylen Reed | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dru Phillips | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clev Lubin | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quan Martin | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Luke Ferrelli | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Bojorquez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maddux Trujillo | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Zane Gonzalez | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

